Mutton crisis deepens in Kashmir as dealers' strike enters 5th day ahead of peak marriage season

Srinagar, July 30: Kashmir is staring at a full-blown mutton crisis just as the Valley braces for the peak wedding season, set to begin on August 1. With the strike by mutton dealers entering its fifth straight day on Wednesday, meat supplies have come to a virtual halt, triggering widespread shortages and anxiety among families preparing for marriage functions.

The strike, led by the Mutton Dealers Association of Kashmir, is a protest against what traders allege is systematic “extortion and harassment” by authorities in Punjab — the only route through which livestock-laden trucks pass on their way to Jammu and Kashmir.

“All trucks bringing livestock to Kashmir have to pass through Punjab, and every single truck is being charged between Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 as illegal payments,” said Mehrajuddin Ganie, General Secretary of the Association. “We have taken up the issue with Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma and Advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, but nothing has changed. Our transporters are still being harassed at the Shambu Border and Madhavpore.”

Dealers say despite paying all taxes and obtaining the necessary permits, livestock trucks are being arbitrarily stopped and penalised on flimsy grounds, delaying supplies and jacking up transportation costs. “We are not demanding concessions. We are simply asking for a secure, lawful passage for our trade to function smoothly,” Ganie said.

The ongoing strike could not have come at a worse time. August marks the beginning of the Valley’s busiest wedding season, when hundreds of marriage ceremonies take place every week. For Kashmiri weddings, mutton is indispensable — the centrepiece of the traditional multi-course Wazwan.

“With barely two days left for the marriage season to kick off, we have no mutton in stock. If this strike doesn’t end soon, weddings will have to be postponed or downsized,” said a caterer in downtown Srinagar. “The entire system — from butchers to cooks to suppliers — is paralysed.”

In response to mounting pressure, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has constituted a three-member team of senior officers tasked with engaging with their Punjab counterparts. The team includes Manoj Prabhakar, Deputy Controller, Legal Metrology Department; Muhammad Rafeeq Bhat, Deputy Director, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Kashmir; and Sham Lal Abrol, Deputy Director, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Jammu.

According to a government order,  the committee has been sanctioned to visit Punjab to hold talks with relevant officials and resolve the issue of overcharging and alleged extortion on highways. They are expected to submit a detailed report to the Administrative Department after the visit.

However, the dealers’ association has expressed dissatisfaction with the move. “The order is vague and toothless,” Ganie said. “It doesn’t mention when the team will leave, whom they will meet, or what the deadline is."

As the stalemate drags on, markets remain dry, marriages stand threatened, and traders and consumers alike wait for a breakthrough that remains uncertain. For now, Kashmir’s famed Wazwan — and the celebrations built around it — hangs in the balance.