Strike by separatists hits life in poll-bound areas in Kashmir

Normal life was affected in poll-bound areas in Kashmir Valley Wednesday due to a strike called by separatists against the urban local bodies elections in the state.

Voting for the second of the four-phased elections was underway in the Valley. It began at 6 am and will end at 4 pm.

Shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in the poll-bound areas of the Valley, officials said, adding some other areas of the city also observed a spontaneous shutdown as shops remained closed.

Authorities have reduced the mobile internet speeds across the Valley as a precautionary measure, they said.

The officials said public transport was off roads in the poll-bound areas but plying normally in the rest of the Valley.

The government has declared a holiday in the poll-bound areas.

The separatists - under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) Tuesday asked people in the region to observe strike.

"In the poll-bound areas in the second-phase of the elections, people will show their complete disconnect and dismissal by staying away and boycotting this drama," a statement by Joint Resistance Leadership, comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, said.