Srinagar, Aug 5: Here locally grown vegetables are sold at comparatively lesser prices, almost half the market rates elsewhere.
 The barber offers Rs 10 discount on haircut, while milkman isn’t allowed to sell his lot for more than Rs 20 per Kg. The prices are being controlled vide a rate list framed by the local youth who have pasted it at the colony entrance.
 This is Nadirgund, a little known area in the interiors of Hyderpora suburb, a mile away from the Airport Road, where the locals have taken measures to help the people in the prevalent situation.
 The road leading to Nadirgund is under strict curfew for the past six consecutive days, but the restrictions decrease with decrease in the number of police and paramilitary troops as one walks towards the area interiors.
 Ghulam Ali (name changed) is a vegetable grower who sells the lot at Batamaloo on routine days. But due to the prevalent situation where six days of chronic curfew have added to public woes, Ali has started doing business at his residence.
 The customers can select their choice of vegetables from the cane baskets at his makeshift shop and hand it over to Ali for weighing. The rates are fixed. Tomatoes Rs 15 per KG, beans Rs 20 while garden fresh cauliflower is available for Rs 20 a KG.
 “We are charging very little profit out of the sales,” says Ali as he entertains a customer who has come from adjoining Humhama. The villagers said the local youth took the initiatives to keep the prices under control and also provide relief to the brethren. The local youth have formed Nowjawan Committee Nadir Gund to come up with the people friendly measures.
 A few days ago, they called a joint meeting of vegetable growers, milkmen, barbers and shopkeepers of the area to deicide on the situation arising out of continued curfew and other restrictions.
 The meeting resolved that the prices would be kept under control so that no one charges exorbitant from the customers. “Who so ever comes to us can verify the rates from the rate list and make purchases,” said a group of local youth while pointing towards the rate list on pasted on a electric pole.
 But then the rate list for the few odd shops in the area isn’t the only measure taken by the youth.
 They have also activated fund raising for the needy at the Masjid level with people pooling funds out of their pockets.
 “There are no compulsions. People can lend help in cash or kind,” the locals said adding many a family had pooled food grains, mostly rice towards the Baitul Maal.
 Some of the funds were used instantly to provide food to Bihari laborers putting up in the vicinity.
 “We were running short of money as our payments are held up due to curfew… But the moment the locals came to know about our plight they offered us foodgrains and some money,” hailed a group of Bihari laborers putting up in the area.
 The Baitul Maals also offer assistance to the intending customers in the area, facing a financial crunch. “We make payments for the purchases if we come to know that the customer is running short of money,” the locals said.
 “Its not that everybody is poor but nowadays even the rich could be in financial trouble as due to lack of any relaxation as was happening in the past days Hurriyat calendar,” explains a retired government official putting up in the adjacent Pir Bagh. But a million dollar question is that how do the people manage going to Nadir Gund.
 “Well, it mostly happens in wee hours or late at night when the troops are lifted from Airport Road and people get a respite to move out,” said a group of people from Hyderpora as they assembled outside a local Masjid after evening prayers planning to go to Nadir Gund for shopping in the wee hours of the new dawn, Friday.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 5 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 5 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 6 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST