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The shutdown of the Jammu-Srinagar highway has again plunged everyday life in the Kashmir Valley into trouble. This is not just a highway. It’s the Valley’s lifeline. It transports food, fuel, medicines, and other essentials from outside. The moment it gets shut down, people here feel the pinch at once. Prices increase, supplies vanish, and families fret about how they will cope.
Over the past few weeks, a string of landslides and rains resulted in shortages. The cost of vegetables, chicken, milk, and petrol skyrocketed within hours. Black-marketing and hoarding were the order of the day, and poor families were left in misery. For most people, the crisis is not about convenience but survival. Alas, this is not a new tale. It occurs every year, and hardly anything is being done to stop it.
Kashmir is a landlocked territory, and nearly all supplies are brought in via the Jammu-Srinagar highway. When trucks are stuck, the markets of the Valley begin to deplete. Traders and wholesalers profit from the situation. They restrict stock in stores to cause artificial shortages. Prices double overnight. An ordinary individual cannot afford basic goods.
This is not only due to nature. There is weak planning as well. The government has not constructed large stores in the Valley. There are no adequate reserves of food, fuel, or medicine. When the road is closed, individuals have nothing to fall back on. That void leaves space for exploitation.
Alternate roads have been talked about by leaders for decades. Highways such as the Mughal Road and Kishtwar-Sinthan link will ease pressure from the main road. Zojila and Z-Morh tunnels, once constructed, will also ensure safer passage during winter. But the pace of work on these initiatives has been slow.
The initial step will have to be completing these substitute roads in a rush and keeping them in good condition. The Valley cannot rely on a single highway anymore. Good substitute roads will come as a relief in the event of closures. They will also ease the journey for individuals and transporters.
The government must also create stockpiles within the Valley. Automated grain, vegetable, and pulse warehouses need to be established. Cold storage facilities can store perishables securely. Fuel storage facilities must be stocked in advance of winter. The stockpiles must be distributed among districts so a single shut-down does not hit everyone simultaneously.
In most parts of the globe, where weather isolates areas, governments make buffer stocks. Kashmir requires the same concept. If reserves are available, one or two weeks of highway closure will not induce panic. Individuals will remain safe, knowing that vital commodities are within proximity.
Each closure of highways also reveals another issue: black marketing and hoarding. Merchants who stock hidden goods to sell at higher rates should be strictly punished. Market checking teams need to operate all year round. Fines and charges need to be substantial enough to deter such activities.
The government should also establish helplines through which individuals report exploitative prices. Consumer organizations and civil society need to be engaged for monitoring. If individuals realize that profiteering will not be accepted, they will never dare to take advantage of these circumstances.
One of the prime causes of this crisis is over-reliance on imports. The Valley is rich but still imports vegetables, poultry, eggs, and milk from elsewhere. Local production should be promoted. Farmers need to be assisted in terms of seeds, technology, and reasonable prices. The local poultry farms and dairy units need to be increased.
If more can be produced locally, the Valley will not be affected as much during closures. Self-sufficiency in staple foods will not just serve in times of crisis but also fortify the local economy. Small industries, particularly food processing, should be encouraged. It will prevent wastage and generate employment.
The other area that requires attention is communication. When the highway closes, panic sets in because people do not know for how long it will be closed down. Rumors increase people’s worries, and they scramble to purchase in bulk. This causes artificial shortages.
The government needs to provide daily reports on the state of the road. Transparent declarations on the number of trucks that are approaching and for how long the closure will persist can reassure individuals. A real-time updated digital platform or radio channel will minimize panic and create confidence.
In addition to storage and alternative routes, the government must make ready proper emergency plans. These ought to constitute rapid airlifting of medicine or other critical supplies whenever necessary. Schools, hospitals, and the vulnerable should receive priority assistance. Local committees may also assist in the fair distribution of relief material during crises.
Preparation for emergencies is not weakness. It is evidence of good governance. When citizens are able to see that systems are prepared, then they are less afraid.
The recurring crises inflicted by highway closures pose a simple question: how long must people endure the same issues? Each year, promises are made, but the problems persist the same. It is the responsibility of the government to deliver permanent solutions, not temporary reprieve.
The steps are simple. Construct backup roads. Develop robust reserves. End stockpiling. Encourage domestic production. Enhance communication. Develop emergency plans. They are not radical measures. They are minimum obligations.
The shutdown of the highway is not meant to shut down ordinary life in Kashmir. Citizens should be able to live without the threat of shortage every winter or rainy season. A government that cares will ensure that.
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