By: Mohammad Akram
Situated along the tranquil banks of the River Jhelum, Baramulla is the oldest historic township in Jammu and Kashmir and its legacy runs parallel to the valley’s legacy. The abode of the saint Kashyap Reshi, the glorious civilization of the valley is believed to have its roots in this town.
District Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir’s largest district in terms of area is the oldest district ever since it was carved out of the District Muzzafarabad after the 1947 tribal attack, famous for its beauty, agriculture, horticulture, mining, and manufacturing activities. This border district is strategically one of the most important frontiers in the country’s defence system. The district is famous for many remarkable battles, which the country’s armed forces fought and won. Besides, the renowned trade way, the Multan Highway passed through this town conferring economic prominence to this district in the forgone era.
Before independence, the district’s trade and commerce activities like everywhere else in the valley ran from households, famously known as Waein. Tiili Waein, Paser, Bazez, Kandur, Sonnur, Khaar, Taanthur etc professions were run from houses in the northern (right side) of the River Jhelum, nowadays called Old Town, where most of the town’s population resided. Besides, the services sector was catered to by the holders of Asses and Donkeys, locally known as Kharwael. The Aarams, cultivators of vegetables used to sell their cultivation door to door. The rice, maize, and wheat were supplied to the residents from the nearby villages, either through door-to-door selling activities or by merchant traders. This self-reliant town remained peaceful, cooperative, and upright throughout its history.
After the partition and post-abolition of erstwhile trading routes, Baramulla fell far apart from the valley’s political and economic landscape. With the adoption of the Srinagar Jammu National Highway as the sole travel and trade route, Baramulla town could not catch up with the establishment of business at par with the Capital city of Srinagar and Anantnag due to its distance. Nevertheless, it established business complexes, mostly in the form of shops on the southern side of the River Jhelum famously called Jadeed Market. In this market, all kinds of shops were established to cater to the needs of the population in and around the town. Over time, many government and semi-government institutions were built on this side of the town and the market grew from a few shops to many, spanning about a one-kilometre radius adding a variety of goods and services to its consumer base.
Post-globalisation and liberalization of the economy and with the advent of multiple Shopping complexes culture, many shopping Malls and shopping complexes have been constructed on both sides of the River. The market area has been enhanced to a three-kilometre radius and the market base has been updated to the required optimum level as per contemporary customer needs. Despite the district being among the aspirational ones, the development of road infrastructure is under process, whereas the other required infrastructure like construction of hospitals, schools, offices etc. is going on at par with the national standards.
Throughout history, Baramulla town has stood up to the challenges and faced them with grit, determination, resilience, and courage. The fast development of online shopping options is challenging and poses a serious existential threat to traditional shopkeepers in Baramulla. Despite the availability of all kinds of goods and services in the market, online shopping options keep consumers at bay from the traditional business houses. This challenge can be resolved within the system by the traders through various discount-based schemes and by making available a variety of options to consumers.
The second challenge is the skyrocketing shop rents due to the competitive construction of shopping complexes. The higher payment of rent by the shopkeepers and huge token money for the acquisition of a shop hampers the discounting probabilities of traders proposed above. The third challenge is the lack of adequate parking space in the market. The municipal authorities need to identify adequate parking spaces to allow consumers easy access to the market.
Last but not least, the presence of vendors and the illegal occupation of footpaths by shopkeepers hampers public movement and causes inconvenience in the commuter’s movement. The local administration needs to streamline the vendor businesses by providing a secure and separate site for their activities and imposing heavy fines on delinquents and shopkeepers, who tend to occupy footpaths.
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