Srinagar, Aug 29: Adhering to the ‘strike calendar’ of the resistance group, the markets in the Valley today opened for evening session after 5 PM activating a semblance of commercial activity.
 Most of the shops in the city opened after 5 PM with thin traffic plying on the roads. However, not much customer rush could be seen on the shops. In many areas shopkeepers said they did not even a single customer.
 Many shopkeepers dealing in high-end goods did not choose to open their shops. “It is useless for me to open my shop. As nobody is going to come to me to purchase a TV or an audio system,” said a shopkeeper on phone to Greater Kashmir.
 As per the ‘strike calendar’ markets shall remain open after 5 PM for three consecutive days from Sunday.
 However, many shopkeepers said although not much business could be done in just a few hours after 5 PM, “yet it is good that the markets have opened for a few hours.”
 “We cannot expect many customers, as the market shall remain open barely for two or three hours between 5 PM and Iftar (time for breaking the fast). But still it is good. At least there is a semblance of business activity,” said Muhammad Ayub, a shopkeeper at Lal Chowk, here.
 Mohsin Ahmad, a customer at a general merchant store in Karan Nagar said: “This is good if you have these regular breaks in the strike days. It gives you at least a chance to get some of the things of need without waiting for a full day break. And, then when it is full day break, you have so much of rush and traffic snarls that it becomes very difficult to get the things.”
 Some fruit vendors said that opening at 5 PM would “help us to sell our fruit which otherwise gets spoiled when it remains unsold and stuffed in the shops for days together.”
 Some shopkeepers, however, said it was “useless to open the shops in the evening as there is little time from 5 PM to Iftar.”

Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST