Srinagar: The J&K administration is all set to enforce a strict lockdown following May 3, despite the Union government’s classification of red, orange and green zones, while extending the lockdown for two more weeks. Recently, Lt. Governor Girish Murmu held a high-level meeting with his advisors and issued an order of Rs 350 crore package for those poor people, especially labourers, who are struggling to survive due to the current lockdown. Following seizure of over 4,000 vehicles and the number of FIRs now touching 2,000 in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for lockdown violations, common people are facing a lot of problems to come out, especially from the containment areas of the red zones.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P.K. Pole was quoted by some news agencies on Saturday as saying that the lockdown in entire Kashmir will continue as the administration will consider the entire valley as a red zone. The Srinagar administration imposed a lockdown from 19 March, much before the nationwide lockdown to combat the Covid-19 crisis. According to the classification of the Union health ministry, only four districts of Kashmir valley are coming in red zone, five in orange zone and one in green zone.
Various local trade leaders have expressed concern over the decision of the UT administration to declare entire Kashmir valley as a red zone. “We have been under lockdown for nine months. We have exhausted our means of survival. Despite out repeated requests and meetings with authorities, there has been no financial bailout. Does it mean that the Union government wants to keep us under perpetual lockdown?” asked one of the members of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries.