Sadaf Khursheed
Srinagar, Jan 13 (KNB): Daily strikes for one or the other reason have become a norm in Kashmir. Since 2008 there have been four major cycles of Bandhs and Hartals in Kashmir Amarnath land row, Asiya and Neelofar rape and murder case, 2010 uprising and 2016 killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, thus hampering the economic growth and public services badly.
“I work as a driver and had taken loan from the bank for my new vehicle but the unrest of 2016 and now hartals one or the other day give me a tough time, I risked my life many a times because I had to pay back my loan, we need to think other strategies to carry forward our mission otherwise we will have to pay a heavy price”, said Tauseef Ahmad.
Frequent hartals have also had a negative effect on reducing the GDP of the state. It also affects expenditure, export, transportation needs public savings and development in the industry sector.
“I am forced to keep my shop closed at least once in a week because of the hartals, hartals of 2016 have already done us a great harm, now as we try to cope up with the loss there are again more hartals. If we would have achieved something from this then we already would have in 2008”, said Mohammad Iqbal, a shopkeeper.
Not only the economic side but frequent hartals cause a great disturbance to education sector also. While Kashmir gets fewer days to teach because of the winter, hartals add more miseries.
Azra who is a 12th class student said that “we already have so much to study and compete in their syllabus but when there is hartal we end up losing their precious days which gives them more pressure”
Not only has this but even the government employees found it difficult to reach to their offices on the days of hartals thus causing more inconvenience to the general public.
Be it hartals, bandhs or curfews it has shown how fragile peace is in valley and how it disrupts the normal life be it education, trade, healthcare, education and the government needs to take into consideration all these things and help solve the long standing Kashmir issue. (KNB)
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