Normal life remains affected in Kashmir, main markets shut, public transport off roads

Normal life remained affected in Kashmir for the 80th consecutive day on Wednesday with main markets shut and public transport off the roads, officials said.

Some shops opened for a few hours early in the morning in some areas, including in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk in the city here, but downed their shutters around 11 am, they said.

The officials said main markets and other business establishments were however shut.

Private transport was plying and the number of vehicles was higher than Sunday, leading to traffic jams at various spots in the city, they said.

Auto-rickshaws and a few inter-district cabs were also seen plying in some areas of the Valley, they added.

 

However, the other modes of public transport were off the roads.

There was huge rush of private vehicles in some areas of the city, including commercial hub of Lal Chowk and Jehangir Chowk, causing massive traffic jams in some areas, prompting authorities to press in more police personnel to regulate the movement of the vehicles, the officials said.

Internet services -- across all platforms continued to be snapped in the Valley, they said.

Schools and colleges were open, but students stayed away as parents continued to keep their wards at home due to apprehensions about their safety, the officials said.

While landline and postpaid mobile phone services have been restored across the Valley, all internet services continue to remain suspended since August 5 when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and divide the state into two union territories.

Most of the top level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders, including two former chief ministers -- Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been either detained or placed under house arrest.

Another former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah has been arrested under the controversial Public Safety Act, a law enacted by his father and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1978 when he was the chief minister.