National Conference on Tuesday expressed concern over shortage of essential items in Kashmir, urging the government to adopt measures to protect poorest and most vulnerable and sustain the supply chain.
The party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar while expressingconcern over the shortage of basic commodities in the markets said, “One cannothave knee-jerk reaction to such situation without evaluating and anticipatingthe scale of problems arising as a consequence of it. The inevitable lockdown has put lives of poorat risk. It is a stark reality that asizeable chunk of our society lives by hand to mouth and it is this section ofsociety that has been hit due to the loss of livelihood, lack of food, shelter,health and other basic needs,” Imran said.
He said the lockdown was inevitable in the wake of spread ofa global pandemic. “The challenges that the outbreak has thrown at us needsramped-up efforts that should include financial support to the daily wagers,hawkers, laborers and other economically challenged sections of the society,”the party spokesperson said.
Imran said the government should take urgent steps to cometo the rescue of those at need. “Setting up community kitchens, releasingpending wages, and stepping up procurement to protect agriculture sector willmake a difference. It is for the government to ensure that everyone has accessto food, medical care and that the poor and marginalized sections of thesociety are not left unattended,” he said.
He said the lockdown has created a shortage of necessaryfood items in Kashmir and that people were finding it difficult to run theirkitchens. He urged the government to ensure that normal life of the people wasnot hit due to the lockdown. “Many countries have been able to stave off theshortage of necessary essentials during the lockdown. But in this part of theworld we are yet to tide over the situation. The government must ensure thesupply chain is not broken across Kashmir,” Imran said.