Huge rush at weekly flea market in Srinagar

The weekly flea market here witnessed a huge rush of people and few shops at some places in the city stretched their business hours on Sunday, even as the uncertainty in Kashmir, following abrogation of Article 370, continued for the 118th day, officials said.

The weekly flea market, locally known as 'Sunday market', was open as vendors had put up stalls on the TRC Chowk-Batamaloo axis through Lal Chowk city centre, the officials said.

They said the market witnessed huge rush of customers as thousands of people thronged it for shopping clothes and other items.

Shops and other business establishments opened Sunday morning and while most of them downed their shutters around the noon, few including in the areas around the commercial hub of Lal Chowk --stretched their business hours till late in the afternoon, the officials said.

The shops in Downtown (Old City) area of Srinagar remained open till noon, they added.

The markets in Kashmir have been following new business hours by opening early in the morning and closing around the noon in most areas. However, in some areas, most of the shops do not open in the morning and do business only in the evening.

Most modes of public transport were plying on Sunday, the officials added.

Pre-paid mobile phones and all internet services continued to remain suspended since 5 August when the Centre announced the decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.

Most of the top-level and second-rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders including two former chief ministers -- Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti -- have been either detained or placed under house arrest.

The government has detained former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah under the controversial Public Safety Act, a law enacted by his father and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1978 when he was the chief minister.