Amid LoC escalation, panic buying peaks in Srinagar

Srinagar, May 8: Amid the escalation on the Line of Control (LoC), panic buying peaked in Srinagar, with people stocking essentials due to fear of a full-fledged war.

Amid the LoC flare-up, uncertainty looms large in Srinagar. On day two of the escalation, Srinagarites continued with panic buying, fearing more escalation.

Since the people woke up to the operation by India and cross-LOC shelling on Wednesday, there have been long queues at petrol pumps, banks, and other places. On Thursday, people continued with the panic buying of essentials, including groceries and other food items.

“We Kashmiris are known to prepare for the worst. Given our past experience, we have no idea about how the situation will unfold, and that is why we are buying essentials, including food items,” said Farooq Ahmad, a local in Downtown Srinagar.

Today, Srinagrites continued to queue at petrol pumps, while ATMs also witnessed an increased flow for cash withdrawal.

“Everyone wants to be ready in case of an emergency, and we cannot rely on public transport. We have a marriage function at home on the weekend, and that is why I came to fill my vehicle and keep it ready for my chores. I also visited the ATM to withdraw cash,” said Imad Ahmad, a commuter at the Habak petrol pump.

“Kashmiris have a habit of keeping their food stock full in advance, which is why people buy groceries in a hurry. Authorities should keep an eye on the market and ensure there is no hoarding or black marketing.

“Although things don’t look that bad now but out of our habit we keep the food stock and monthly groceries available in advance. We also appeal to authorities to keep an eye on the market so that everything is available and there is no black marketing,” said a shopper.

Ajaz Shahdar, president of the Kashmir Trade Alliance, appealed sto hopkeepers to keep the essentials available.

“We will communicate and instruct our shopkeeper to keep everything available at reasonable rates so that people in Srinagar and elsewhere won’t face any inconvenience,” Shahdar said.

When contacted, a senior official from the District administration refused to comment on the issue.