Connect with us

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Highway closure: Another day of great despair, fear in Kashmir | KNO

No curbs on Sgr-Bla highway in wake of polls, Sgr-Jammu highways wears deserted look, travellers face hardships

Published

on

kno news

Srinagar, April 10 (KNO) : The beleaguered people of Kashmir on Wednesday faced yet another day of great despair and fear as the highway ban remained in vogue for the second day after it was started on last Sunday. This time, however, Srinagar-Baramulla highway was exempted from the travel curbs in the wake of polls taking place in the north Kashmir constituency on April 11. Witnesses told KNO that authorities enforced strict imposition of the State home department’s order that restricts civilian vehicles from travelling on the highway that is the only surface link connection Kashmir with the rest of the world. The order will remain in vogue till May 31. The government decided this was necessary after Jaish-e-Muhammad carried out a spectacular attack on the CRPF convoy on February 14 this year leaving 40 CRPF men dead. After the first road closure on April 7, residents reported extreme hardship in transporting products or accessing services including critical health care. The situation was quite similar to April 7 today. “Most of the roads connecting Srinagar with the Qazigund in Anantnag wore a deserted look and only a handful of vehicles were allowed by the sector magistrates appointed by the government to facilitate travel of vehicles of emergency nature,” said an eye-witness, Abdur Rehman, a resident of Awantipora told KNO.. In a surprising development, a local commuter had to get his right hand stamped by the concerned sector magistrate so that he could travel in his vehicle on the highway. The picture of his stamped hand went viral on social networking sites evoking sharp criticism against the government. Many residents and travellers expressed similar views. The government has however, asserted that the “schoolchildren, medical patients, government and private employees, as well as other civilians, will not be able to reach their destinations well in time.” While the authorities have a responsibility to provide security for the population in Kashmir, measures such as closures of a crucial highway that undermine fundamental rights to movement, food, and health, must be narrowly tailored and proportionate to a legitimate aim. The army has discreetly distanced itself from the government’s decision of highway closure stating that it “wasn’t consulted before the implementation of the order.” The order has already evoked tremendous criticism from the various quarters including mainstream, separatist camps, traders, lawyers and common masses.(KNO)

Trending

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

CEO issues guidelines for Printers, Publishers of J&K | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

General Elections-2024 | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Patients suffer as Nagbal Yousmarg PHC operates from rented building | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Meet Abdul Gaffar Kanihami, the man preserving Kashmiri folk music legacy for decades | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Entire JK lives in Jammu, city deserves quality infrastructure: Ghulam Nabi Azad | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Baramulla admin geared up for free & fair elections: DEO Sherpa | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Ramadan sees surge in street begging across Srinagar, elsewhere | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Young Kulgam writer authors three books, delves into Einstein's Theory of Relativity | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Have collaborated with J&K Police to eradicate drug menace: CCIK | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Jammu and Kashmir Government to Fill Over 12,000 Vacancies to Tackle Unemployment | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Teacher rationalization: | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

Centre sets-up tribunals to decide on ban on Muslim Conference factions | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

J&K admin sabotaging assembly elections, ruling like ‘uncrowned kings’: Omar Abdullah | KNO

TOP STORIES14 hours ago

In 5 years, MHA bans 9 separatist groups in J&K | KNO

TOP STORIES1 days ago

CRPF Sgr Sector wraps up inter-operational battalion tournament with spectacular finale | KNO

TOP STORIES1 days ago

In touch with Centre for more security forces, will ensure optimum utilisation of all forces in LS Polls: DGP Swain | KNO

TOP STORIES2 days ago

BJP will win 400 seats in LS elections: Tarun Chugh | KNO

Copyright © 2021