Srinagar: Barring few areas of Ganderbal and Baramulla districts, life across the Valley on Saturday limped back to normal as Hurriyat Conference (G) called off the strike and government lifted curfew and restrictions to provide breather to the people.
Reports and eyewitnesses told KMW that life in Srinagar and most of the parts of the Valley returned to normal this morning, ever since curfew was clamped across the Valley following massive pro-freedom demonstrations on Eid-ul-Fitr on September 11.
After 20 days of disturbances, particularly due to curfew and restrictions, all shops, private offices, business establishments, petrol pumps across the valley resumed their work. The markets that wore a deserted look in the recent days, were bustling with shoppers.
The transport also returned to almost all the roads and highway in all the ten districts of the Valley.
Choked roads, traffic jams, unruly scenes were witnessed at many places in the city centre as people swarmed to make necessary purchases. Traffic cops had a tough time while regulating traffic at important roads and transaction.
The commuters travelling in the city, particularly through Maulana Azad road, residency road, Hari Singh high and Jehangir chowk faced inconvenience due to frequent traffic jams triggered by the heavy flow of traffic.
Meanwhile, uneasy calm prevailed in Kangan area of Ganderbal district where curfew is in force as militants and a joint team of Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) are engaged in a fierce gunfight.
Sources said that the curfew has been clamped in the area fearing protests against the killing of militants.
Tension also persisted in Palhalan area of Baramulla district where curfew was clamped following protests against the alleged forces atrocities.
However, life was normal in other areas of the district.
Press Bureau of India correspondent from North Kashmir said that after remaining crippled for weeks, life returned to normal in all the three districts of the North Kashmir.
In Baramulla, Bandipore and Kupwara, all shops, business establishments, private offices, petrol pumps resumed their activities while transport plied normalcy on district and inter-district routes.