Chicken Prices Skyrocket Amid Highway Closure

Srinagar- Chicken that used to be sold at Rs 125 per kg before the highway disruption is now being pushed on wholesalers' counters at Rs 160–180 per kg, indicating a sharp,“unjustified spike” that has left households, small shopkeepers and the poor reeling.

Residents and market observers say the price jump is not a natural market correction but“open exploitation by suppliers”, who are cashing in on the ongoing closure of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway, alleging there is no monitoring by the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department of Kashmir.

“Before the road was closed, chicken was easily available at Rs 125 per kg. Now, they are selling it for Rs 170-180. This is sheer loot and nobody is questioning them,” Bilal Ahmad, a consumer from Rajbagh said, as per news agency KNO.

He added that every disruption is turned into an excuse to exploit people.“Where is the administration's rate enforcement? Is FCS&CA sleeping?” he asked.

Notably, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has remained closed after multiple landslides, triggered by heavy rains, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded and severing the main supply route into the Valley.

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