Srinagar, Sep 8 : The Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) has expressed deep anguish over the continuous closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for the last seven days, which has completely disrupted the Valley’s supply chain, paralysed trade, and thrown life out of gear.
In a statement, KTA President Aijaz Shahdhar said the situation has taken a critical turn with severe shortages of essential commodities being reported from across Kashmir.
He noted that the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is the economic lifeline of Kashmir and its closure has brought businesses to a standstill, caused huge financial losses, and left the common people struggling. There is an acute shortage of mutton, forcing many families to even postpone marriages, while prices of vegetables, poultry, and other daily essentials have risen sharply, making survival difficult for ordinary citizens.
KTA also highlighted the plight of fruit growers and orchardists who are among the worst hit. Thousands of tonnes of fresh fruit remain stuck in the Valley as transportation to markets outside has come to a halt. Shahdhar said that orchardists, who depend on timely movement of their produce, are crying for help as their hard-earned harvest risks rotting away. This, he stressed, is not just a loss of income but a destruction of livelihoods for thousands of families that depend on horticulture.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Equally concerning, the KTA strongly condemned the exorbitant rise in airfares following the highway closure. Shahdhar said it was shocking that airlines were charging manifold higher fares from Srinagar, taking undue advantage of the crisis.
He pointed out that a one-way ticket to Delhi is touching between twelve to fifteen thousand rupees, which amounts to sheer exploitation of the people of Kashmir. The government, he urged, must immediately step in and cap airfares to prevent profiteering at the cost of people’s suffering.
KTA called upon the administration to take urgent and concrete measures to restore connectivity. Shahdhar urged the government to ensure immediate clearance of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway, keep the Mughal Road fully functional as an alternative route, and adopt a long-term strategy to prevent Kashmir from being cut off repeatedly, particularly with the onset of the winter months.
Shahdhar concluded by emphasising that the continuous blockade of the Valley’s only all-weather road link has exposed the fragility of Kashmir’s economy and the vulnerability of its people.
He appealed to the Lieutenant Governor-led administration as well as the Chief Minister to treat the matter as an economic and humanitarian emergency and act before the crisis deepens further.