Srinagar (J&K): A day after the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was cleared of stranded apple-laden trucks, the fruit Mandis (fruit markets) across the region are witnessing a buzz again. The fruit merchants had closed Mandis after thousands of trucks were halted on the highway. This has caused massive anger among the fruit growers, locals, and political parties.
MY Tarigami, a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held a day-long convention of apple growers in Kulgam and criticized the government for blocking the free movement of apple trucks. He also suggested rolling out a market intervention scheme so that the farmers were not forced to sell their products at cheap prices.
Meanwhile, the fruit traders, too, have welcomed the administration's decision while saying "better late than never." "Better late than never. The apple industry suffered losses of over 100 crore rupees over the past 10 to 12 days. At least 8,000 fruit trucks were halted for over a week along the highway," said Bashir Ahmad Bashir, chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers cum Dealers Union.
"The fruits in these trucks had already been spoilt when they reached their destination. Many drivers complained that the fruits have rotten while they were stranded on the highway," he added.
Also read: Blocking apples on road, a game plan by JK admin to benefit corporate giants: Apple Growers
Speaking about the clearing of the trucks from the highway, he said, "After the road was cleared, the mandis were opened last night. We have dispatched 300 trucks from Sopore and 1,500 from the entire Kashmir. I hope from now on the growers won't face any hindrance on the national highway, especially during peak season. It should be made mandatory for non-fruit trucks to take the Mughal Road to reduce the pressure and dependence on the national highway," he said.
Meanwhile, IG (traffic) Vikramjeet Singh also confirmed that the stranded traffic has been cleared. "Highway has been cleared. There were shooting stones, landslides, and repair work on the highway. Now everything has been sorted out. Despite, this month, more than 30,000 fruit trucks have been dispatched to various fruit mandis across Kashmir," IG Vikramjeet Singh said.
With mounting pressure from politicians and growers, the administration as a face-saver transferred SSP (traffic) Ramban Shabir Malik. "Many growers blamed Malik for creating problems for the passage of trucks. He has been shifted and attached to the police headquarters. Mohita Sharma, SP of Ramban, has been asked to hold an additional charge of the SSP traffic national highway," a senior officer in the J&K administration told ETV Bharat.
