Curfew makes it hard for locals to buy essentials

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 8

With shops and markets lying closed in Srinagar city, amid the continuous curfew for the past five days, residents are finding it hard to buy essentials like milk, medicines and baby food.

In the interiors of Old Srinagar city, where many pockets have witnessed protests in these days, the situation is most difficult.

Ghulam Muhammad, a resident of Rainawari, Srinagar, had left his home on Friday afternoon to buy medicines for his wife. He was stopped by the security forces at several places and returned home disappointed as he could not find any pharmacy open.

“I thought medicines might be available but I could not find any shop open nearby. We don’t know what will happen,” he said.

Though some vendors set up stalls of fruits and vegetables in the early morning hours in Civil Line area, residents of the Old Srinagar localities, such as Nowhatta and Rainawari, are facing difficulty in buying essentials.

The petrol pumps in the city are completely shut. The ATMs are also not working at many places. Outside a bank on Residency Road, people were seen waiting to operate their accounts as they were told that the bank would open at 10.30 am.

“I have to deposit money to my son’s account, who is studying in Bangalore. The security forces did not allow the rickshaw to come up till here so I had to walk six km,” said Shaheena. The residents said even during 2008, 2010, and 2016 unrests, the restriction were not so severe.