Srinagar: As the holy month of Ramadan commenced on Monday, people in Kashmir observed fast with religious zeal and fervor. In large numbers, people were see participating in congregational prayers in mosques. The shops in the city centre on Monday opened late due to the first day of the Ramadan with the roads witnessing less traffic as compared to other days. According to the KNS correspondent, people here were seen busy in buying fruits and other eatable that would be consumed at the dusk (Iftaar). Also the officials of the market checking squad were observed making rounds of the various markets to check the rates and quality of the food items being sold to people at present.
Also due to the increase in the temperatures, people were seen busy in the purchase of juices and ice creams, meant to be consumed later. The Naats and the Quranic recitations were being played at the various shops selling CDs and audio cassettes at Lal Chowk.
Huge rush was also witnessed at the Mutton and Chicken shops with the people purchasing the commodities in large numbers. Various others accused that the prices in the markets is not being monitored and that the sellers claim the rates of the certain commodities as per their own wish with no rate list hanging around the shops.
The vendors in the city centre Lal Chowk made good business on Monday with the fruits, vegetables being sold to people at large. Polythene was widely used in the Srinagar markets on Monday with the concerned authorities on the deep slumber over the open usage of the banned entity.
The people also accused that the authorities didn’t announce the rates of the essential commodities for the holy month, hence paving ways for the black marketing and illegal price hikes. Masses urged the state government to come up with the detailed rates of the items being sold in the markets so that buyers could not be deceived with the wrong rates.
Also the mosques were seen crowded for whole days with particularly special lectures of Quran and Hadith were arranged at certain places for the people. Kashmir’s historic grand mosque witnessed the huge rush of believers on the very first day with the individual recitations of Quran going on for several hours inside the mosque premises.