Kashmir Markets See Slow Eid Rush Due To Rain And West Asia Tensions
Traders said the footfall was lower than in previous years because rainfall and the West Asia crisis disrupted the celebration spirit.
Published : March 19, 2026 at 5:12 PM IST
Srinagar: Kashmir markets are witnessing a subdued rush on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr due to rainfall, compounded by the West Asia crisis following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which triggered week-long protests in the valley earlier this month.
Traders in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, said that footfall is lower than in previous years because rainfall disrupted the celebration spirit and also brought winter chill.
The weather in Kashmir has been erratic over the last week, which has brought down the day temperature to 10 degrees Celsius from the 20 degrees that was recorded in February. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Centre in Srinagar has forecast cloudy weather with intermittent light to moderate rain and snowfall at the higher reaches of the Chenab Valley and south Kashmir on Friday.
The IMD said that from March 21 to 31, the weather will generally be dry, with brief spells of rain and snowfall expected at a few places on March 23. This means Eid-ul-Fitr, to be celebrated on Friday or Saturday, pending the crescent moon sighting, will experience dry weather.
In the past 24 hours, the Kashmir Valley received 25-30 millimetres of rainfall, while Gulmarg recorded 23 cm of snowfall. The weather department has urged travellers and transporters to plan their journeys across higher altitudes and key passes in accordance with the advice. Additionally, farmers have been advised to resume all agricultural activities starting March 21.
Meanwhile, a weeklong protest earlier this month over the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader also reduced the rush and dampened the spirit of Eid shopping.
The authorities imposed week-long curbs and shut down 4G, 5G and prepaid mobile services for a week. Several legislators of the ruling party, National Conference, said that the police detained and arrested Shia mourners in several parts of the Valley and urged the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to release and withdraw FIRs against them.
Ghulam Ahmad Kumar, an elderly shopper, said that with the wet weather, people are shopping at their local markets rather than coming down to Lalchowk and other markets of the city.
In the last decade, Kashmir also witnessed the decentralisation of commercial activities away from Srinagar as new shopping centres have been constructed in its peripheries and other towns.
Kashmir's commercial hub, Lalchowk, along with adjacent markets such as Goni Khan, Maharaj Bazar, and downtown, would usually buzz with activity on the eve of Eid as people buy garments, bakery items, mutton, and other essentials, spending significant amounts. Compared to garment and other shops, bakeries and meat outlets typically see a higher rush of shoppers.
Javaid Ahmad Dar, a shopkeeper in the Goni Khan market of Srinagar, said that the Eid bustle is missing due to the ongoing war between Iran and the US-Israel.
Rohit, a garment shopkeeper in Srinagar, said trade has been affected due to the erratic weather, as shoppers are perplexed as to whether to purchase warm or summer garments. He said that inflation has also affected the purchasing capacity of the people on this Eid.
Qazi Tauseef, a senior member of the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF), said traders on the eve of Eids, the estimated turnover was estimated around Rs 25.00 crore in the valley, and on this Eid eve the traders expect a turnover of Rs 15.00 crore on the eve of Eid. He listed bakery and mutton as top purchases, followed by household items and garments, among the priority purchases on the Eid eve.
“But inflation and online purchases have hit the local markets, coupled with increasing loans to consumers who prefer to pay EMIs first, rather than buying and stopping lending by banks to the small traders. We can’t cross even Rs 15,00 crore this Eid,” he said.
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