Srinagar: Srinagar city burst into sudden hectic activity on Wednesday as people flocked to markets for Eid shopping, caring little for the restrictions and precautions against Covid-19 that had kept them confined for months.
Since morning, there was considerable rush in several markets across the city. The city centre Lal Chowk witnessed a huge rush of people throughout the day. A large number of vehicles were seen parked in front of shops, leading to traffic jams.
Bakery and meat shops, whose products are essential part of Eid celebrations, attracted a large number of people.
The Goni Khan market, popular for women’s apparel and accessories, remained abuzz all day. Women were seen preoccupied in shopping without paying any attention to social distancing norms.
The adjacent Maharaja Bazar, famous for household commodities, was also seen packed with people. It seemed like people had forgotten all about the dreaded coronavirus.
Due to the huge rush of people, there were traffic jams in many parts of the city, including at Lal Chowk, Amira Kadal and Jahangir Chowk.
The rush of people could have been due to the easing of restrictions by the administration on Wednesday morning.
Interestingly, the district administration had only allowed essential services to open, but later in the day all kinds of shops opened, attracting a large number of people.
With Eid only three days away, it seems that people will continue to rush to markets, but the carelessness in following necessary precautions is worrisome, and can lead to further spread of the virus.
Eid ul Azha will be celebrated on Saturday across Kashmir valley. The government has already decided to shut mosques and shrines on the eve of Eid, just as it did at the earlier Eid ul Fitr.
The UT of Jammu and Kashmir has crossed the mark of nineteen-thousand infected cases, while as the death toll has reached to about 350. The Srinagar district continues to top the chart of the number of people infected for the last two weeks.

KALEEM GEELANI