People in Kargil queue up to get essentials

Kargil, Mar 21: People of Drass and Kargil in the cold desert region of Ladakh Thursday were overjoyed as the Srinagar-Leh highway, the only road connecting Jammu and Kashmir with Ladakh, re-opened for movement of traffic on Wednesday after 35 days of closure.

The road was closed in mid-February this year after heavy snowfall.

Dozens of Light Motor Vehicles, mostly carrying essential supplies including fresh fruits and vegetables reached Drass and Kargil from Kashmir on Thursday.

Amid a shortage of essential commodities, particularly fresh fruits, vegetables, and dates in the Kargil district of Ladakh region, a large number of people Thursday morning thronged the nearby markets where they lined up to purchase fresh vegetables and other essential commodities.

However, the consumers complained about the high prices of the vegetables and fruits in the market and urged the authorities to keep a check on the prices and stop black marketing.

They said that bananas were priced at Rs 200 per dozen while tomatoes were sold at Rs 100 per kg.

A resident of Kargil said that they had not consumed fresh vegetables during the past month.

He said that there was a huge demand for essential commodities in Kargil and they were facing inconvenience during the holy month of Ramadhan.