Srinagar: Closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway has triggered an acute shortage of essential supplies in Kashmir with people complaining about lack of check on markets.
The highway, which connects Kashmir with rest of the world, was closed for traffic for last six days after a massive landslide blocked the road.
In Srinagar markets, prices of kitchen staple such as potatoes, tomatoes, peas, cauliflower, and onion have increased by almost 40 percent due to the highway closure.
Majority of essentials including vegetables and grocery especially in winters come to Kashmir through the only 300km long strategic highway. But since closure of the road, Kashmir has not been receiving supplies as trucks
carrying essentials are struck on the road.
Ghulam Muhammad, who purchased a kilogram of tomatoes at Rs 80 Tuesday morning from Safa Kadal said he had purchased the vegetable at Rs 30 last week and blamed government for failing to keep check on markets.
Vegetable sellers agreed rates have drastically shot up and said there is an acute shortage of supplies since last week when the Valley received the season’s first bout of snow.
President Fruits and Vegetable market Parimpora Bashir Ahmad told Kashmir Reader that from last three days they have received no supplies in mandis due to highway shutdown.
On an average, 100 trucks carrying vegetables and fruits would reach mandis in Kashmir every day.
“If highway did not open in coming days people will face more problem as their will be full shortage of fresh vegetables,” Bashir added.
An official at Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs department told Kashmir Reader their enforcement teams were already checking markets.
Meanwhile, Superintendent of Traffic Police (Rural) Muzaffar Shah said that the highway was restored for traffic on Tuesday.
According to him, light motor vehicles were allowed to proceed from both sides while heavy motor vehicles were only allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar.
Meanwhile, despite undertaking a major operation to clear the snow, the traffic on the Mughal Road, which connects the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian district, remained
closed for the seventh day.

NAZIMA SIDIQ