Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 29: Chicken that used to be sold at Rs 125 per kg before the highway disruption is now being pushed on wholesalers’ counters at Rs 160–180 per kg, indicating a sharp, “unjustified spike” that has left households, small shopkeepers and the poor reeling.
Residents and market observers say the price jump is not a natural market correction but “open exploitation by suppliers”, who are cashing in on the ongoing closure of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway, alleging there is no monitoring by the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department of Kashmir.
“Before the road was closed, chicken was easily available at Rs 125 per kg. Now, they are selling it for Rs 170-180. This is sheer loot and nobody is questioning them,” said Bilal Ahmad, a consumer from Rajbagh.
He added that every disruption is turned into an excuse to exploit people. “Where is the administration’s rate enforcement? Is FCS&CA sleeping?” he asked.
Notably, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has remained closed after multiple landslides, triggered by heavy rains, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded and severing the main supply route into the Valley.
Officials said the closure has now stretched into another day as restoration teams’ work on several damaged stretches.
Additionally, traders in Srinagar admitted the hike is not a formally announced revision but a market-driven surge. “The earlier price was fixed at Rs 125; wholesalers are dictating their own rates. There is no formal revision, only profiteering,” said a poultry dealer from Srinagar.
Consumers also pointed out that even after some stretches of the highway were cleared, prices continued to remain inflated, suggesting cartel-like behavior rather than genuine supply scarcity.
