New Delhi: Violence is not new to the Valley. But with fewer spells of calm, several people are left with no option but to migrate to metropolitan cities to eke out a living. Also, business is not as usual at the Valley anymore, said the migrants.
The capital has seen a steady flux of shawl sellers coming in who want to escape the conflict in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Thirty-year-old Tahir Khan, who migrated from Srinagar to Delhi, is one among the many traders who has found a better market in Delhi. He describes their business situation being “better in Delhi than in Kashmir”.
Attributing the decline in business to curfews in the Valley, Mr Khan said, “The business of pashmina shawl in Delhi is running smoothly. It is at its peak during winters, and there is no impact on the supply even when the Valley is at the brink of a flood.”
Traders said the ongoing crisis has taken a toll on people’s livelihood options as is evident from the increasing number of business people taking shelter outside Kashmir’s market.
“The business in Delhi for Jammu and Kashmir’s goods has always been stable, there is no impact on import. By large, the people in Delhi are buying Kashmiri goods at large number,” said C B Kaul, senior manager, Jammu & Kashmir Tourist Devel-opment Corporation, Delhi.
Highlighting the impact of conflict on the daily lives of traders in Kashmir, Masrad Khan, 50, said, “It is out of sheer need that one needs to migrate to the national capital in the scorching heat in search of a living.”
Mr Khan, a resident of Srinagar, added that the ongoing violence in the Valley force people to live indoors. “This impacts our business adversely.”
