Kupwara, Oct 30: Shopkeepers and residents of Tarathpora market in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have urged the authorities to address long-pending civic issues, saying the lack of basic amenities has made daily business and movement difficult.
The market lacks a proper drainage system, adequate sanitation, public washrooms and streetlights, causing inconvenience to traders, customers and visitors.
Damaged drains have added to their woes, forcing shopkeepers to pool money and arrange cleaning themselves.
“We have been facing these issues for a long time, but little has been done to improve the situation. Recently, we pooled money to get a damaged drain cleaned because it had become difficult to manage,” said Mohammad Sultan, a local transporter.
“The absence of proper drainage and sanitation facilities affects the overall condition of the market and creates difficulties for both traders and visitors. Maintaining a market is the responsibility of the concerned authorities. We cannot keep spending our own money to address basic civic issues,” he added.
The shopkeepers urged the authorities to repair damaged drains, improve sanitation, provide public washrooms and install streetlights, saying the responsibility for maintaining basic civic infrastructure should not be left to traders.
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