BK News
Srinagar, Nov 9: Fruit growers and traders on Monday staged protests at various mandis of Kashmir against what they called the arbitrary halting of fruit-laden trucks by the authorities on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Protests were held at Parimpora Fruit Mandi, Fruit Mandi Aglar Shopian, Sopore Fruit Mandi and Kulgam Fruit Mandi seeking prioritised facilitation of apple trucks on the highway. The protesters decried the frequent closure of the highway and demanded revocation of restrictions on fruit-laden trucks.
Bashir Ahmed who was leading the protest told news gathering agency KNT that due to the restrictions on public transport, the transportation of fruits and vegetables remains badly affected as trucks remain halted on the highway for days.
They said the government should set up a mechanism in order to ensure a hassle-free traffic movement on the highway.
The fruit business dealers in Shopian headed by Bashir Ahmad Teeli said that the closure of the highway has badly hit their business. “Fruit laden trucks should be allowed to ply without any interruption,” he said.
Meanwhile General Secretary J&K Kisan Tehreek (JKKT) Ghulam Nabi Malik has said that the reports of authorities stopping fruit-laden trucks on the highway for the last several days is a worrying trend as already the horticulture sector in Kashmir has suffered huge losses in the last two years due to various reasons.
The continuous stoppage of hundreds of fruit-laden trucks loaded from various mandis of Kashmir along the highway has led to the huge losses to the apple growers and traders, a statement issued by the JKKT said.
The fruit industry in Kashmir faced economic consequences due to the lockdown imposed after the Centre abrogated Article 370 last August. And then unseasonal snowfall on November 7 last year wreaked havoc followed by another lockdown in March after Covid19 pandemic, it said.
From transportation, and a slump in rates, fruit growers faced multiple problems in selling produce last season. Last year sky-rocketing freight prices and undue stoppages of apple-laden trucks on the highway badly hit Kashmir’s fruit growers. The halting of fruit trucks on the highway created a crisis-like situation as delays caused huge losses to the perishable fruits.
J&K administration must not only ensure smooth flow of fruit-laden trucks along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway this time but also control the transportation charges, it said. — With inputs from KNT
