Concertina wires in Kashmir are not an alien site, not even a fresh one, on Sunday morning a similar site was seen on various streets of Kashmir as many lanes and streets were blocked in the South Kashmir township of Islamabad (anantnag).
Eyewitnesses told The Kashmiriyat that Government Forces in large numbers placed barbered wires on the streets, which rarely took people by surprise, and hence another undeclared Lockdown was imposed.
The Administration in Jammu Kashmir on Saturday evening met to discuss whether the lock-down shall be extended or not, without any further information or making the decisions of the meeting public, the meeting was called off.
On Sunday morning, initially restrictions were imposed in the Anantnag township in South kashmir and hours later, the lockdown was extended to Srinagar, after a huge rise in Covid-19 positive cases and deaths in recent days.
The administration Sunday decided to re-impose lockdown in Srinagar from Monday. “In view of a major spike in Covid-19, we’ll have to carve out containment zones,” Shahid Iqbal, the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar said.
Official communications were sent to various SDMs and other Government officials asking them to impose a lockdown in the areas. “Whereas all of us are fully aware regarding ‘new wave’ of covid 19 which continues to be in grim condition as it raged across the valley again, which has posed a major threat to public health, the District Masgistrate Anantnag has clearly Directed in this behalf to re-impose fresh Lockdown in a bid to curb the further spread of ongoing disease. No shop or any commercial establishment will be allowed to open and public transport shall remain suspended as well till further orders,” read an order by Office of the Executive Magistrate, Dooru area in Anantnag.
Anyone violating the lockdown norms, Nakas and Checkpoints shall be fined heavily, the order read.
Pertinently, the Kashmir valley has mostly been under lockdown since the abrogation of special status of Jammu Kashmir on August 05, last year. Internet services that were barred for at least four months, continue to run at a reduced speed.