SRINAGAR: There were traffic jams witnessed in the capital city Tuesday on number of roads which otherwise have remained mostly deserted due to curfews and shutdowns over the last four months. There was a considerable increase in the movement of public and private transport since the trend started some two weeks back.
However markets remained shut and opened only after the Hurriyat deal hours began at 16 hours.
The “resistance leadership” including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik have been issuing weekly protest programmes.
Significantly despite reports to the contrary over past several weeks educational activity also picked up with the successful culmination of first day of Class 12 exams on Monday. On Tuesday the Class 10 annual board examinations also started.
The increased movement of transport is giving an impression of normalcy in the city, with the authorities deploying more traffic police personnel to man the roads in the city which is witnessing traffic snarls at a few places, eyewitnesses said.
Reports said the inter-district transport has also significantly improved.
However, some other facets of life remained affected.
Stone-throwing clashes erupted at Noorbagh area of Old City against the death of a local youth yesterday. Police resorted to teargas shelling and chased away the youths. There was no however injury to no one. The situation in the area later returned to normal but was tense.
Shops were seen open in several areas in the civil lines and peripheries of the city. Vendors have put up their stalls along TRC Chowk — Batamaloo axis.
Apart from private transport, public transport, mini buses were also seen plying on the roads giving the semblance of normalcy in the summer capital.
Hundreds of vendors had set up their stalls in Lal Chowk area and large numbers of shoppers were also seen buying winter garments.
In Old City, hundreds of forces men were deployed in five police station areas of Srinagar’s Old City – MR Gunj, Nowhatta, Safa Kadal, Rainawari and Khanyar – since early morning.
Similar reports of increased movement of people and transport were received from other district headquarters of the Valley.
The life in Kashmir came to standstill after the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani on July 8 2016. Since then some 100 people have been killed and several thousand others injured in the on-going uprising in the Valley.
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