Chaos prevails on Srinagar road as shoppers throng markets

Srinagar, Oct 23: Chaos prevailed on roads in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr today as shoppers thronged markets in large numbers forcing frequent traffic snarls in the entire city.

Lal Chowk, the nerve centre and the commercial hub of Srinagar, witnessed unprecedented rush of shoppers who were seen jostling each other to grab the fast-selling items.

Long queues of vehicles were seen on the busy Maulana Azad Road and the Residence Road as traffic moved at snail's pace. Traffic authorities failed to control the heavy rush of vehicles or check violation of norms.

Traffic rules were broken by the people to go ahead of each other and reach their destination. Employees failed to reach their offices on time due to the traffic jam.

''I reached office very late...I was helpless. It took me more than one hour to travel a two-km stretch from Dalgate to Lal Chowk.

The traffic authorities further added to the chaos. They failed to control the heavy rush,'' said Aijaz Hussain, a government employee.

The complaints of exorbitant rates being charged for several products seemed to fall on deaf ears as the people lined up in front of shops to buy essentials.

''What can we do...We have to buy these items. In fact, the government should have taken steps to prevent escalation of prices of essential commodities in view of the approaching Eid,'' said Zakir Mohammad, a shopper.

The state government had recently held a high-level meeting here to review the arrangements for Eid-ul-Fitr.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Basharat Ahmad had directed the officials to ensure that adequate supply of essential was made available to the people without any inconvenience.

He had asked the Animal Husbandry department to put on sale about 66,000 chicken in the city for the convenience of the people and also called for frequent market checking in the entire summer capital and other parts of the Kashmir valley till Eid-ul-Fitr.

UNI