On April 14, pictures of barricades to “red zones” in Srinagar floated up on social media, giving rise to a public outcry. These were semi-...
On April 14, pictures of barricades to “red zones” in Srinagar floated up on social media, giving rise to a public outcry. These were semi-permanent structures – iron rods drilled into the ground so that they could not be removed.
“There’s absolutely no need to dig roads and fix iron-barricades,” said Shabir Ahmad, who lives in Natipora, one of the sealed localities in Srinagar. “Why can’t they just have spools of concertina wiring to prevent public movement? Who will pay for the damages they have caused to the road? Will they repair these roads with the same zeal?”
The major entry points to Natipora have been sealed, although the locality has several roads leading into it. “Not everyone knows every road in their locality,” protested Ahmad. “Also, what will happen in a medical or fire emergency. How will the people know which roads to take?”
Sealing off red zones
In order to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has declared “red zones”, areas where chances of infection are high and so movement is highly restricted. There are 90 red zones spread across the Union Territory, 76 of them in the Kashmir Valley. Srinagar alone has 15 localities marked as red zones.
On April 14,...
