Srinagar: After nearly four and a half months of shutdown and counter restrictions, normal life resumed in the Kashmir valley today as the markets were abuzz with pedestrian and there was increased vehicular movement for the first time after July 8 this year.The shops and business establishments were open and public transport that remained off the roads for the past 133 days returned to normal movement with people availing these services. It was for the first time that the shops and markets opened and public transport buses and taxis were operational since early morning. The normal life activities resumed with the beginning of two-day “relaxation” in the weekly “protest calendar” jointly issued by the separatist leaders. Since the trouble started, there have been short duration “relaxations” in the protest calendar mostly in the evenings, enabling people to purchase essential commodities and other merchandise.Interestingly, the government only last night restored the Internet services on mobile phones after these had been suspended on July 8 night following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani and two of his associates in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir, triggering the longest spell of unrest in the Valley.The educational institutions that faced the brunt of the ongoing unrest for remaining closed for the past over four months, also opened today, but with a difference. The government has already announced mass promotion for the students in lower classes. The annual examinations for Classes X and XII began earlier this week. However, the University of Kashmir is yet to decide on the annual examinations for the under-graduate and PG classes with no class work for over four months.
Kashmir awaits tourists
The restoration of normal life has failed to bring smiles on the faces of those associated with the tourism sector. The Dal Lake area is sans domestic as well as foreign tourists. Long rows of “shikaras” (boats) await the tourists at over a dozen “Shikara ghats” along Boulevard Road in Srinagar. There was a hope of arrival of foreigners this week, but the suspension of air traffic due to fog has dashed these hopes, said boat men.
Tribune News Service