No milk, vegetables in Kashmir, people resort to dry eatables

Srinagar, Mar 18 (UNI) Frequent closure of the 300-km-long Srinagar- Jammu national highway has exposed the claim that valley was self sufficient in milk, vegetables, meat, chicken, eggs and other essential commodities.

People in Kashmir have once again to resort to pulses, vegetables and fish dried during the summer months for winter.

The authorities have now decided airlift 200 tonnes of essential commodities including milk, vegetables, eggs, kerosene oil and other commodities daily from Jammu to Srinagar from March 19.

Almost all shops, selling meat, vegetables, eggs, chicken and other eatables in the valley, including Srinagar city, are closed for the past two weeks.

The retail shops, selling milk and other milk products in packets, are also closed for the past three days, thus exposing the claim of different branded milk producers that people in the valley were being supplied local milk.

People alleged that these milk federations are importing milk from Jammu and supplying to Kashmiris in local packing. They said authorities should initiate action against these federations for misleading the people in Kashmir.

With no alternative left, people in the valley, including summer capital, were seen purchasing dried vegetables and fish from the market in the city.

In the past, until eighties, people generally used to dry vegetables and fish during the summer for winter when the highway remains closed for months together due to heavy snowfall and landslides, particular at Shaitan Nullah area.

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