No respite
The markets of Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir are having a lot of scarcity of essential commodities as the Srinagar-Jammu highway is closed from the past several days now.
All the claims of the administration seem hollow as the people have to bear the brunt in the markets as every shopkeeper and wholesaler has kept his own rates for every item and the authorities are looking the other way.
The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was shut for traffic for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday in the wake of heavy snowfall over the past four days, even as the minimum temperature across the valley stayed below the freezing point, officials said.
The 260 kilometre-long highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by the accumulation of snow and landslides on Sunday.
Mughal Road, the alternate road-link which connects the valley to Jammu Division through Shopian-Rajouri axis, was closed for traffic due to heavy snowfall in the region and now there is no surface link left for Kashmir.
In such circumstances with no administration visible on the ground, black-marketing and selling of essential commodities at exorbitant prices is a routine in Srinagar market and the same reports are coming from the markets of other towns.
