COVID-19 lockdown: Closure of highway creates scarcity of essentials in Kashmir

The 21-day nationwide lockdown coupled with the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for the last six days has created scarcity of essential commodities in the Kashmir valley.

Due to the closure of the 264-Km highway, the only road link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, more than 1100 trucks carrying essential commodities to the Valley and those returning remained stranded due to multiple landslides.

“As a result of multiple landslides and threat of further landslides, the highway remained closed for the sixth day (on Wednesday). Men and machinery are on the job to make the road travel-worthy,” an official said.

It may be mentioned that the highway has remained closed for more than 45 days since November 2019 due to inclement weather. Frequent closure of the highway has caused a shortage of supplies in the Valley, which is already reeling under the problems due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

A pharmacist outside super-specialty SKIMS Hospital in Srinagar said that they were running short of medicines as no new supplies were reaching. “The restrictions after the COVID-19 crisis had already depleted the supplies. Now, the closure of the highway will deal another blow. If the supplies are not restored immediately, we will be short of essential medicines in a few days’ time,” he said.

A senior official said that the grave situation arising out of the shortage of essential commodities needs to be tackled. “There is a need to set up a crisis management cell consisting of people-friendly and honest officers to deal with the situation,” he suggested.

J&K Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo said he has directed the officials to prepare a combined comprehensive format detailing any issues/ problems to be updated daily.

“Coordination teams have been constituted to ensure movement of essential goods and services and to overcome difficulties arising out of restrictive/ prohibitory measure,” he said and added the Centre is sending ventilators and other medical facilities to both Jammu and Srinagar through air cargo.