Jammu & Kashmir: People Queue Outside Stores As Curfew Eased For Eid; Officials Say 'Situation Peaceful'

Officials also said that residents would be permitted to offer prayers in neighbourhood mosques on the festival.

Image: ANI

New Delhi: People in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday came out in numbers to shop ahead of Eid-ul-Azha  as restrictions were eased in the valley and banks, ATMs and quite a few markets remained open. Officials also said that residents would be permitted to offer prayers in neighbourhoods mosques on the festival. Principal Secretary of Planning Commission in Srinagar, was quoted by news agency ANI as saying "People are coming and shopping for Eid. A large number of people came out today. We also saw people buying other commodities. "Wherever there were restrictions, these were relaxed to facilitate people to come out and shop. We are trying to facilitate people who want to travel to Srinagar to meet their dear ones," he added. "We are trying to provide transport at the civil airport in Srinagar as well as at TRC bus station so that people can reach their home without any difficulty," he said. According to Kansal, there is a general policy that where ever there are restrictions, these should be eased as much as possible to facilitate people to come out. There has been no report of violence anywhere in Kashmir, news agency PTI reported quoting officials. "Everything is peaceful. The restriction have eased and there has been lot of improvement in public and transport movement," Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary was quoted as saying by the agency. Magistrates have been deployed at every critical place to act as facilitators for the convenience of the general public, an official spokesperson said. A top government official said people will be allowed to visit neighbourhood mosques to offer prayers during the Eid-ul-Azha on Monday. The administration has issued an advisory saying that 300 special telephone booths are being established to help people communicate with their kin. Telephone and internet links in the Valley have been snapped since August 5 Meanwhile, National Conference leader and former minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, who was arrested a few days ago, was on Sunday shifted to a jail in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, the first mainstream political leader being sent out of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said. (with inputs from agencies)