A Month Since Clampdown, Business Hit, People Feel Hurt in J&K

Business in the Valley have been severely hit since the clampdown.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

It has almost been a month since the abrogation of Article 370 and locals in the Valley are facing a severe crunch in business due to the clampdown by the government, as tourism has been gravely impacted.

While traffic on the roads might suggest the situation in Kashmir is ‘normal’, the waterways used by locals to travel see sparse traffic. This suggests that locals are not using canals to travel and sell vegetables, handicrafts and other products.

Speaking to The Quint, a shopkeeper said that he lost around Rs 5-6 lakh last month, and such has been the fate of almost 60-70 shops in the stretch between Boulevard Road and Rainawadi in Srinagar.

With business badly affected, the situation has turned even more grave as locals have had to fall back on what they earned in the four-five months of summer to sustain themselves throughout the year.

The manager of the hotel where The Quint put up is facing the establishment's closure as business has been hit for the two years since its opening.

More Hurt Than Angry

Although people are angry, there’s little evidence of their mood. Even downtown, shops stay shut but no incidents of sloganeering or violence can be witnessed. The situation doesn’t seem very threatening at the moment as more than angry, people are hurt, which may take a while to palliate.

Phone Lines Remain Unstable

Lines of communication in the Valley are still down, as even though landline connectivity has been restored, it is extremely unstable and shaky.

However, a few senior officials to whom The Quint spoke said that a few mobile phones have been activated and given to the personnel patrolling the area so that those who need to make urgent calls can do so.

As it turns out, it’s way more difficult to reach local numbers as mobile phones of government officials are working but not those of locals.