Srinagar: COVID-19 induced lockdown during Eid-ul-Fitr in Jammu and Kashmir has dented the prospects of bakers in the Valley, whose business otherwise surged during the end of Ramzan.
According to confectionary shop owners, Srinagar -- the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir -- houses around 600 bakers employing 15,000 people as salesman and bakers among others.
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"Eid brings in a huge rush to our shops. But from the last three Eids, we are running in losses. A small percentage of people turn to buy confectionaries due to lockdown," Santosh Sing, a baker in Srinagar told ETV Bharat. Added to the lockdown is the mourning of the passing away of near and dear ones due to COVID-19.
"Given the grim situation due to COVID-19, I bought fewer items for kids. There is no Eid happiness this time around," Gulzar Ahmad, a local, told ETV Bharat.
Kashmir's economy has been severely crippled since August 5, 2019, after the Centre government abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territorries. As per bakers, they have collectively suffered a loss of around Rs 400 crore since then.
