LPG cap protest cripples normalcy in Kashmir

Normal life was disrupted in Kashmir on Friday due to a strike called by an amalgam of trading bodies seeking an increase in the number of subsidised LPG cylinders in the Valley.

Schools, shops and other business establishments were closed due to the strike called by Kashmir Economic Alliance and supported by various organisations including Kashmir High Court Bar Association and Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Association.

The alliance has asked people to take to streets to press the government to relax the cap on the number of subsidised cylinders per year in Kashmir.

Public transport remained off the roads but small private cars were seen plying the roads. Attendance in government offices remained thin due to non-availability of public transport, official sources said.

The LPG crisis had dominated the proceedings on the second day of the just-concluded autumn session of the state assembly where opposition parties demanded that the cap should be relaxed.

The government responded by saying relaxing the LPG cap would put enormous strain on the financial resources of the cash-strapped state.

However, the state government has requested the Centre to increase the number of subsidised cylinders for Jammu and Kashmir in view of the extreme harsh winters.