Shopian: Thanks to small load carrier vehicles and auto rickshaws, people in rural areas here have not faced scarcity of essential commodities in the two months since the Covid19 lockdown was announced in late March.
Transformed into shops on wheels, small load carriers made available vegetables, fruit, rice and other essential commodities at the doorsteps of people after procuring passes from district administrations in south Kashmir.
Irshad Ahmed Pala, a Kulgam villager, said that they faced shortage of essential commodities in the initial days of the lockdown but soon they were made available at their doorsteps by the vegetable and fruit sellers who carried the items in vehicles and reached almost every village and town.
Abdul Rehman Lone, another local from Shopian, said that people bought essential items from the vehicle drivers at fair prices, unlike in earlier lockdowns when markets sold things at double the prices.
“Initially they sold the groceries at high prices but once many people came to sell these products, there was a sharp fall in prices and everyone is buying from them in this month of Ramadan,” Lone said.
Locals added that vegetable and fruit carrying vehicles had installed loudspeakers through which they announced which products they were selling. “They also delivered essential goods to local shopkeepers, who otherwise used to buy the same from markets which are closed now,” said Tanveer Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Shopian.
Saddam Hussain, a vehicle owner, said that people like him began selling essential items after getting travel passes from the government.
“We were jobless as there was no other work to do. We had to pay the interest on the bank loan for our vehicles as well. Now we are earning at least enough to get two meals a day, besides helping people in this difficult time,” Hussain said.

Raashid Hassan