SRINAGAR: Even as the Hurriyat protest calendar did not include any relaxation for Tuesday, private and public transport picked up as there were frequent traffic jams in the capital city on a number of roads which otherwise have remained mostly deserted due to the 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 three weeks back.
The “resistance leadership” including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik have been issuing weekly protest programmes.
Brisk movement of vehicles was witnessed in Srinagar areas including the commercial hub Lal Chowk, Rambagh, Jawahar Nagar, Batamaloo and other adjacent areas.
Police said there was no curfew or restrictions in any part of the Kashmir valley though security forces remained deployed in strength to maintain law and order.
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.
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.
Similar reports of increased movement of people and transport were received from other district headquarters of the Valley.
Although the day passed off peacefully across the city, but soon after forces men deployed at Kawdara started withdrawing from the area, youths pelted stones on them as well as vehicles passing through the area. Police lobbed some teargas shells to disperse the youth. In day, some youths resorted to stone-pelting on vehicles at Safa Kadal in old city.
According to witnesses, some shops were seen open from many uptown localities of city including Jawahar Nagar, Sanat Nagar, Chanapora, Dalgate, Batwara, Bemina, JVC, Batamaloo Karan Nagar, Kak Sarai and Rajbagh.
The reports of shutdown were also received from other districts of the Valley. According to a police officer, situation remained peaceful across the Kashmir Valley. He said JKLF chief Muhammad Yasin Malik was detained from Jama Masjid Shopian and later released. Earlier, Malik visited house of pellet-victim Insha in Shopian.
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.
Miscreants Hurl Petrol Bomb At Exam Centre
Srinagar: Miscreants Tuesday made an abortive bid to disrupt 12th class examinations by hurling two petrol bombs in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal, official sources said here today. They said some persons were later detained by police.
Sources said that two petrol bombs were lobbed by unidentified persons at Government Higher Secondary school Manigam in Ganderbal, where class 12th students were writing their papers.
However, they said the bombs hit the perimeter wall of the school and no damage was caused.
About 30 educational institutes were gutted in mysterious fire incidents in violence hit valley since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in south Kashmir district of Anantnag.
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