Batamaloo market struggles post bus stand relocation

Srinagar, Feb 2: Batamaloo, once a thriving commercial hub of Srinagar, continues to grapple with a prolonged economic slowdown following the relocation of the city’s main bus stand to Parimpora in 2017.

The decision, taken to ease traffic congestion in the city centre, has instead left traders, daily wage earners and residents struggling with shrinking livelihoods and mounting distress.

For decades, Batamaloo served as a gateway for commuters arriving from across Kashmir.

Passengers stepping off buses flowed directly into the surrounding markets, sustaining hundreds of shops, eateries and street vendors. That daily movement of people formed the backbone of the local economy.

“We have been suffering since the relocation. All of us have been left empty-handed,” says Umar Khan, a local shopkeeper.

“Earlier, customers were right here. Now, the market stands deserted.”

Traders argue that the relocation has failed to achieve its intended purpose. “The bus stand was shifted to reduce traffic jams, but today e-buses are causing even more congestion on city roads,” says Showkat Ahmad, a dry-fruit trader. He adds that the loss of commuter footfall has crippled businesses. “We want initiatives like a Monday market or Friday market in Batamaloo to revive trade here.”

According to traders, customers now have to travel from Parimpora to Batamaloo using additional transport, discouraging visits and increasing the cost of moving goods. Many shopkeepers say they invested their life savings to sustain their businesses, only to be forced to shut down after the relocation.

“Authorities decided to shift the bus stand in 2017, a decision that remains incomprehensible to us,” says Peer Imtiyaz Ul Hassan, President of the Batamaloo Traders Association (BTA). “All development in this market has been carried out by traders themselves. For decades, government contribution here has been negligible.”

Peer Imtiyaz claims that more than 2,000 shops have closed since the relocation, severely impacting the city’s broader business ecosystem, from downtown Srinagar to Residency Road and Lal Chowk.

“Batamaloo traders have been among the highest GST contributors in the Valley, yet our concerns are repeatedly overlooked,” he says.

He further alleges that despite a High Court order to reverse the relocation, authorities failed to implement it. “We were promised a mini-secretariat, but the project never went beyond the plinth level, wasting several crores of rupees,” he says. “Our request to shift the fire headquarters to the bypass also went unaddressed.”

According to the BTA, the market has suffered an estimated 70 per cent business loss and nearly 70 per cent unemployment since 2017. “Crushed under the weight of loans, traders are struggling to keep their businesses afloat,” Peer Imtiyaz adds.

He also notes that traditional occupations are becoming increasingly unviable, forcing people to seek vocational skills as a last resort.

The impact extends beyond shop owners to daily wage earners and street vendors. “No stakeholder was consulted during the decision-making process,” says Peer Imtiyaz. He points out that Parimpora has now become heavily congested. “Residents themselves are requesting authorities to shift the bus stand back to Batamaloo, as normal life there has become impossible due to traffic jams.”

Veteran traders recall a time when Batamaloo bustled with activity from the early hours of the day.

“Everything was peaceful till the bus stand was shifted. Since then, poverty has struck every corner of this market,” says Altaf Hussain, a garment retailer who has been running his shop since 1980. “The market used to open at 6 am. Now even at 10 am, many shops remain closed.”

Altaf says many traders exhausted their savings and took loans to keep their businesses alive. “In the 1970s, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah ordered Batamaloo to be developed as a general bus stand. In 2017, a single decision reversed decades of stability, leaving us poor and unemployed,” he says.

He warns that if the situation persists, thousands more could lose their livelihoods in the coming years. “Passengers struggle to reach their destinations, traders are drowning in debt, and residents are suffering equally,” Altaf adds. “We tried our best to save this commercial hub, but no authority listened to our pleas.”

The Batamaloo Traders Association has once again urged the authorities to restore the bus stand or introduce concrete revival measures to protect livelihoods and prevent further economic decline in one of Srinagar’s oldest markets.

By: Janat Bazaz