Closure of Mughal Road affects trade, travel in south Kashmir's Shopian

Shopian, Apr 12: The continuous closure of arterial Mughal Road is taking a toll on the local economy while affecting the mobility of people.  Following a heavy snowfall along the road in mid-January, the 82 km long stretch, connecting Shopian district with Jammu division’s Poonch district was shut for vehicular traffic.  However, the delay in reopening of the road has disrupted businesses and restricted free movement of people, including students.

All shops in Hirpora, the last habitation from Shopian side along the road, mostly remain shut as there has been no movement along the road. “The area has seen almost zero business since the closure of road”, said a local shopkeeper. He said that the closure of the road had severely affected their livelihood.

Mitha Gatoo, a social activist said that the district witnesses an uptick in business when the road remains open.  “The road plays a crucial road in facilitating trade and business activity in the area”, said Gatoo.  He also said that the students studying at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Rajouri had to bear the brunt of the road closure.

“They have to take the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway route, which significantly increases their travel time”, said Gatoo. He said that the prolonged closure of the road had disrupted day-to-day life and isolated communities that rely on the road for timely access to markets and services. “We hope that the road will be reopened soon to restore connectivity and bring some relief to the local economy and residents”, Gatoo said

Abdul Rehman Khan, Assistant Executive Engineer, Mechanical and Hospital, Subdivision Shopian & Pulwama told Greater Kashmir that the snow clearance operations along the road had almost been completed. “We only need to widen the road at a few places where heavy snow accumulation occurred due to avalanches”, he said.  Khan said that the inclement weather over the last few days hampered the reopening of the road.