KL Report
SRINAGAR
As the people of Shopian resumed their normal business on Sunday, shopkeepers remained busy most of the time in cleaning their shops from dirt and whatever waste rats had left.
“I found my shop full of dirt so most of the time passed in cleaning my shop,” Nisar Ahmad, a readymade garments seller told Kashmir Life. The sad shopkeeper added that rats had left lot of his goods torn everywhere in the shop.
It was a festive like movement for the business community as the shopkeepers and public transport drivers left their house early to reach at work. “I reached my shop at 7 am and started cleaning it,” Gulzar Ahamd, a Kiryana merchant said.
Hilal Ahmad a local chemist said, “Most of the medicines were not on the shelves as I opened my shop, courtesy rats”.
But Ghulam Mohammad, the father of Tawseef Ahmad decided against opening his shop. Tawseef was killed in CRPF firing on September 7.
Public transport resumed its services from Shopian and here in the summer capital, Sumo stand situated at Polo View also resumed its services to the town.
22 day long shutdown of the town was called off during a meeting yesterday which was attended by the local civil society members and the representatives of local socio, business and religious organizations. The people unanimously issued a protest calendar and a dead line to press for their demand of shifting of the Gagren CRPF camp.
Five persons were killed in two separate incidents of firing by CRPF on September 7 and 11. Authorities imposed curfew after the very first incident which remained in force up to September 22.
The locals however did not resume their routine business demanding that the Gagren CRPF camp should be shifted and the personnel involved be arrested.
The apple town of south Kashmir, Shopian is known for its long agitations and protests. The town observed complete shutdown consecutively for 45 days in 2009, against the alleged rape and murder of Asia and Neelofar.
