Srinagar, July 1: For the seventh day running Thursday, people in Shahr-e-Khaas remained confined indoors as police and paramilitary forces enforced a strict curfew in the old City. Hundreds of troopers guarding the roads did not allow any civilian movement. They didn’t even allow the people to buy the essentials like milk and vegetables.
 The curfew has been more intense since Tuesday—when Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah asked the people not to violate the curfew wherever it was imposed.
 The main three entry points to the old City—near Khonakhan, Dalgate; Ikhwan Chowk, Khayam and near Khanyar police station—stand sealed with steel barricades and concertina wires.
 The restrictions are move visible from Khayam and Dalgate, where policemen and CRPF standing guard could be seen denying entry to the vehicles.
 Beyond Khanyar, the restrictions only grow intense. Only police and CRPF men—wearing riot gears and armed with bamboo sticks and automatic rifles—dot the roads.
 The entire stretch of Nallahmar Road from Khanyar to Qamarwari is out of bounds. CRPF men ask for curfew passes and identity cards from the people who want to come out.
 People residing along the main road are facing severe inconvenience as compared to the inner localities, where people can move through the lanes and by lanes and manage to buy food items from local grocery shops.
  “We have not been able to move out of homes for the past three days. We are facing shortage of food items especially milk,” a local Meraj-ud-din told Greater Kashmir over phone from Gojwara.
 “As soon as we step out of our homes, police and CRPF men yell at us,” he said.
 Many load carriers carrying milk and other supplies to the old City areas had to return as they were not allowed to move ahead.
 A similar situation prevailed in the City during the Amarnath agitation in the summer of 2008 when government imposed curfew for 11 days to check to public protests.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 2 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST