MOUNTING LOSSES
Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) recently released a comprehensive report giving the break up of mounting losses to different sectors in Kashmir valley due to the clampdown of August 5, last year followed by lockdown of over 5 months for the Covid pandemic.
All these months have only resulted in more economic losses and also job losses in the private sector as the thousands of youth in Srinagar city have lost their jobs due to the five months long lockdown by the authorities to contain Covid-19.
While there is a spike in the Covid-19 cases despite restrictions imposed by the authorities to contain it, common people of Kashmir valley wonder what have been the gains for the government and people by this lockdown.
They have even questioned the wisdom of the government to lift the restrictions now as huge damage has been done by the lockdown so far.
In such circumstances it is the duty of the government to intervene with the comprehensive financial package to bail out different sectors in Kashmir valley especially tourism, industries, agriculture and horticulture sectors.
It is not only the lockdown and clampdown but the fury of nature also which has played havoc with the horticulture sector in Kashmir valley in the past few years.
The losses in this sector have piled up in the past few years and without comprehensive financial intervention, apple and fruit growers cannot come out from such losses without such a package.
