Shops open in some area of Srinagar

The commercial hub of Lal Chowk here witnessed a huge rush on Monday morning as people from different areas of Kashmir thronged the city centre where shops remained open till noon, officials said.

Shops were also open in some other areas of the city and continued their business till around noon, the officials said.

They said markets witnessed huge rush of people and several areas witnessed traffic jams due to increased number of private vehicles.

Though auto-rickshaws and few inter-district cabs were plying in few areas of the valley, other modes of public transport were off the roads.

The efforts of the state government to open schools have not borne any fruit as parents have continued to keep children at home due to apprehensions about their safety. However, authorities are making preparations for holding all board examinations as per schedule.

While landline and postpaid mobile phone services have been restored across the valley, all Internet services continue to remain suspended since August 5 when the Centre abrogated Article 370.

Most of the top-level and second-rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders including two former chief ministers -- Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti -- have been either detained or placed under house arrest.

The government has detained former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah under the controversial Public Safety act.