Srinagar, Sep 6: With the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway shut for over a week, airfares have skyrocketed, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or forced to pay exorbitant rates.

A spot analysis of fares shows that a one-way Srinagar-Delhi ticket for September 7 costs between Rs 13,000 and Rs 15,000, while Srinagar-Mumbai is pegged at Rs 17,000 per passenger.

For residents of Kashmir, the closure has turned routine travel into an ordeal.

The Srinagar-Jammu highway is the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, and its shutdown has amplified dependence on air travel, allowing airlines to jack up ticket prices.

President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Javid Ahmad Tenga, termed the fare hike “unjustified and exploitative.”

He said, “We have been demanding an upper cap on airfares for years. Whenever such situations arise, airlines take undue advantage of Kashmir’s landlocked geography. The highway is not just a travel route but a supply line. When it gets blocked, prices shoot up instantly. This has both social and financial implications. Families who need to travel outside for medical treatment or emergencies are forced to shell out huge sums. At the same time, it scares away tourists, dealing a blow to our fragile economy.”

Former president of Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK), Farooq Ahmad Kuthoo, said Kashmir has witnessed this recurring cycle for decades.

“Every time the highway closes, fares spiral out of reach. This is not about tourism alone, the majority of travellers are locals who need to visit families, attend functions, or seek treatment. They are the real sufferers,” he said.

Passengers at Srinagar Airport expressed deep resentment, calling the fare surge “daylight robbery.”

Shabir Ahmad, a resident of Anantnag, who had to fly to Delhi for his mother’s treatment, said, “I had no choice but to pay Rs 11,000 for a single ticket. For a family of three, this means over Rs 33,000 just to reach Delhi. How is a common man supposed to afford this? It feels like we are being held hostage.”

An airline executive defended the pricing mechanism.

“Airfares are dynamic and determined by demand and supply. With the highway closed, demand for flights has surged while the number of seats remains limited. Prices go up automatically as seats fill up. We advise passengers to book early to avoid higher fares.”

Business bodies and travel associations are pressing the Civil Aviation Ministry to impose a ceiling on airfares during emergencies.

Srinagar, Sept 6: Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of National Conference (NC) on Saturday demanded immediate removal of the incumbent Chairperson of J&K Waqf Board for hurting the sentiments of people for misusing the emblem of the Country. The NC MLAs held a joint press conference at party headquarters here and said that Ashok Chakra emblem of the country is being respected by every citizen irrespective of their religion. “But it is also important that if anyone misuses this emblem, or places it in a place where it should not be placed, there should be action against that person as well,” NC chief spokesperson and MLA Zadibal said.

He said that the party condemns the incident that took place at Dargah Hazratbal on Friday. “Because violence has never been accepted by the National Conference, nor has it ever been supported.

Its method could have been better, it could have been handled in a better way, but that was not done,” he said.

He said the Waqf Board Chairperson hurt the religious sentiments of Muslim population. “She is threatening people with FIR and PSA, I think it is completely wrong. She should not have done it, we condemn it,” Sadiq said. He said that the top leadership of the or any state has laid the foundation stone or inaugural stone but none has used an emblem on the stone. But is Chairperson Waqf above all of them or above the constitution? Using an emblem on a stone at a shrine is a violation of law,” he said. The NC MLAs demanded immediate removal of Darakhshan Andrabi as chairperson Waqf for misusing the emblem and hurting public sentiment. “Whatever action is applicable as per the law, that should be taken against her,” he said.

Members of the Legislative Assembly of the National Conference said that they will send a letter to the Speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly and ask for a constitution of a House Committee to probe the utilisation of funds by Waqf Board from 2019. “We will explore if there is any possibility in which we can form a House Committee and whatever bungling has happened in Waqf since 2019 should be exposed,” he said.