Shopkeepers asked to closed down their shops ahead of Amarnath yatra

As tens of thousands of pilgrims from different states of India started their long treacherous trek of 320 km from Srinagar towards the Amarnath shrine located in northern Kashmir’s Pahalgam on June 30. Dozens of shopkeepers have registered their protests in Srinagar city alleging that the authorities have forced them to shut their shops for at least 40 days.

“It is injustice. Our families will starve. We are already economically weak,” one of the protesting shopkeepers lamented.

According to shopkeepers their shops are no hindrance to enrouting yatra: “We have been running our businesses for many years, never before was there any issue with yatris whom we welcome. But the authorities have banned us from opening our shops in the main SDA market which is in fact very far from the yatra route,” one shopkeeper lamented, adding that at least 60 shops have been closed down, which is going to impact many families financially.

“Our livelihood is being snatched. We demand authorities should reconsider their decision and allow us to carry out our daily business,” protesting shopkeepers said.

According to protesters they claim that authorities on the pretext of security mobilization have asked them to close down their shops for at least 40 days. “We knocked the doors of every official, but nobody listened to us,” they said.

The shrine of Amarnath is one of Hinduism’s one of the most revered sites, situated 3,800 metres above sea level. This summer, at least 1.4 million Hindu devotees, mostly from India, will be rushing to the holy shrine in the Himalayan shepherd village, Pahalgam, from June 30 and August 11.

Locals in Anantnag’s K.P. Road also admitted that it was a curfew like situation on June 30. “No civilian vehicle was allowed to stop on this road since morning even when the yatra timing was at 4 pm. Who will compensate the losses of the shopkeepers whose earning is just from hand to mouth,” Shafqat, a local, tweeted.

“We the businessmen of K.P. Road are suffering. Our daily bread and butter is getting badly affected due to the severe restrictions by the government forces. The whistle blowing soldiers are yelling and shouting at every customer who tries to stop on this road for shopping even after the smooth passing of the yatra.The customers get fear stricken by the yelling of the soldiers and flee away,” he added.

Police however have refused to admit that there has been any decision to close down shopkeepers. According to the Senior Superintendent of Police (Srinagar), Rakesh Balwal, all shops are completely open in the whole of Srinagar district, including in Panthachowk, except about a dozen or more mechanical/scrap shops inside the Yatra camp campus.

“These shop owners were asked to get verification done and operate the shops, but instead of doing this, they opted to protest under the influence of some vested interests,” Balwal alleged. – INDIA NEWS STREAM