Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 16: The Sunday market today opened for the first time since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani even as shutdown paralysed life in Valley for 100th day and Government said that Board of School Education examinations will be held as per schedule.
The Sunday market opened for the first time since July 8 after killing of Burhan Wani as curfew and shutdown paralysed life in Kashmir for past 100 days in Kashmir.
The flea market from Tourist Reception Centre to Regal Chowk witnessed heavy rush of people. The people were seen busy in shopping along one kilometer stretch of flea market. The market opened despite shutdown call by separatists for the first time. The Sunday market opened for shops for last week at many places in Srinagar and other areas started opening up gradually.
Some shops at several other places in the City were also open today and there was movement of private vehicles in Civil Lines area of Srinagar giving a semblance of normalcy for the first time in last 100 days.
A police spokesman said that Sunday market in Srinagar witnessed a huge rush of shoppers as people from different parts of the city and elsewhere thronged it to purchase different articles.
The spokesman said here that the situation across the Valley remained normal and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere. “During the day, normal life was observed across the Valley as normal flow of vehicular traffic including the public transport was seen on the city roads as also in the main towns and inter-district roads of the Valley,” he said.
The spokesman said that in its sustained action to curb the activities of miscreants, police arrested 62 such individuals involved in disrupting the public order in different parts of the Valley during past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Minister for Education Naeem Akhtar today said that examination for the 10th and 12th standards will be held as per scheduled date sheet.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, the Minister said:”There is no plan to postpone 10th and 12th classes exams any further. I have been receiving countless calls from worried parents and children since yesterday after a baseless report.”
Akhtar said that students and parents called him and insisted that the examinations should be held as per schedule. “All the students and parents who called me insisted that exams must go on in accordance with the published date sheet. That is the decision of the Government as well. Let the students remain focused on studies and prepare vigorously for exams on the due date. Best wishes to them…”, he said.
In the meantime, the unrest in Kashmir entered 100th day today. It began a day after Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter in South Kashmir on July 8 and has left over 90 people dead and several thousand injured.
The strike during last 100 days crippled normal life in the Valley as shops, business establishments and petrol pumps have remained mostly closed.
The shutdown has affected the education of the children as schools, colleges and other educational institutions have been shut in the Valley.
Authorities also imposed curfew and restrictions on most of these 100 days, throwing normal life out of gear in the Valley.
However, there was no curfew anywhere in Kashmir today, a police official said, adding restrictions on the assembly of people under Section 144 CrPc were in force throughout the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
The train services between Banihal and Baramulla remained disrupted during these 100 days and the mobile internet services are also down. However, the authorities on Friday night restored outgoing call facility on prepaid mobile phone connections after three months in view of the improving situation.
Police today detained an Imam of a Masjid from Srinagar’s Sonawar area. Locals said that Riyaz Ahmed, from north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, has been leading prayers at the Masjid for the past many years.
They said that a police party asked Ahmad to present himself at Ram Munshi Bagh police station in the afternoon. “He was detained there without any reason,” they said. The residents of the area protested against the arrest of Imam.
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