Srinagar, Oct 22: With the seizure of thousands of two wheelers in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley by police, several delivery-based businesses in Kashmir have come to a grinding halt.
Pertinently, thousands of bikes and scooties have been seized by Police and other security agencies across the valley in the last few days, rendering thousands of youngsters, mainly those associated with various business delivery services, without any means of transport.
At least two major food delivery apps delivering food in Srinagar have suspended their operations, and run a notice which reads – “deliveries suspended until further notice”.
J&K Police has said that it is seizing bikes and scooties from the youth as part of a “preventive operation.”
IGP, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar said these steps “were purely related to recent violence.” “Seizing some bikes and shutting down of internet of some towers is purely related to #terror #violence. It has nothing to do with visit of the HM,” he tweeted yesterday.
Sami Ullah Co-Founder of Fastbeetle, a messenger and last mile delivery company based in Jammu and Kashmir, wrote on twitter, “Our operations continue to be at halt due to incessant seizing of our delivery bikes in the city. Just when the businesses in Kashmir were trying to recover from the losses caused during article 370 and global pandemic, our law and order is crumbling us again and again.
“More than 500 delivery executives are making their livelihoods from the delivery jobs in Kashmir, where would they go now?”, he observed.
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter and expressed her concern for the seizure of bikes.
“J&K admin’s recent spree of seizing bikes in Kashmir is a collective punishment & another way to snatch whatever means Kashmiri youth have to earn their livelihood in a dignified manner. Contrary to GOIs claims of providing jobs, they are doing the opposite.”
National Conference has also resented the seizure of bikes and the disruption to various business activities due to the operation.
Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir Journalists’ Association has appealed LG Manoj Sinha for his intervention on the matter, saying that work of many professional reporters and photojournalists has made their work very difficult.
“Journalists, particularly photo and video journalists, have suffered immensely due to the continued seizure of two-wheelers in #Kashmir. Many missed deadlines after their bikes were seized. Jammu & Kashmir Journalists’ Association appeals @OfficeOfLGJandK for immediate intervention.”, Jammu & Kashmir Journalists’ Association said.
