Kashmir witness cold spell

Srinagar: As cold wave has intensified in Kashmir with minimum temperatures, dipping steeply below freezing point at some places.
Sale of warm clothes whether new or second-hand is at their peak in Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Asim along with his friend Shahid, strolling through the crowd at polo-view market—Sunday market—to get their winter shopping done to escape from piercing cold of winter. “I want muffler, warm jacket, socks, beanie and sweaters to keep myself ready for winter,” says Asim.
Valley’s upper reaches got season’s first snowfall on November 17. Since then, a cold wave has gripped the valley especially in the morning and evening hours forcing Valleyities to wear warm clothes to escape from piercing cold wave.
The sales of woolen clothes, including warm jackets, hood uppers, trousers, and sweaters have increased as people rushed to buy them. Shopkeepers and Footpath vendors are busy in making their business of warm clothes on Sunday.
“I am a motorbike ride lover, so to keep off from shivering while riding a bike, I have come here to full my wardrobe with winter gadgets, which I want to buy at cheaper rates,” Shahid told Agence India Press.
The Sunday Market in the Srinagar is witnessing a huge rush of footpath vendors where customers make purchase of warm clothes. Customers are always seen on making human chains around the vendors and making bargaining with the sellers to purchase goods at the minimum cost.
The vendors and shop keepers do brisk business as their warm clothes are selling like hot cakes. Mohammad Sharief, a footpath vendor, who sells warm clothes just opposite of Sher-e-Kashmir park and outside of traffic headquarters on the pavement at Polo view, where most of the vendors sell their items says, that their business is going very well today as the demand for winter clothes have risen. “My sales have tripled today and I expect that in the coming days these will go up further. Sharief continues. “Earlier I used to make profit of Rs 200 to 300 daily, but today I made a profit of more than Rs 500,” says satisfied Sharief.
Feroz Ahmad, a University student from Pulwama, who too, is in market to purchase warm clothes, says: “The prices of warm clothes are out of reach for a common man on the shops. I, therefore rush to second-hand cloth stalls where I get quality clothes at an affordable price.”
Different kinds of warm clothes like jackets, sweaters, mufflers, inner-wears (warmers), bobble hats, beanies and trousers are seen hanging in front of shops to attract the attention of customers.
The vendors are also waving hands at the customers and try to grab shoppers attention by saying, ‘They sell products at the subsidized rates.’
Mohammad Amin, who owns a shop in the Lal chowk, wished not to mention the name of his shop, says “We have no other option rather than to sell warm clothes on higher rates because we have bought them at higher prices.”
There is no option or escape, now from buying warm clothes whether at cheap or expensive rates, and packs your wardrobe with new warm clothes, says cheerful Asim.