SRINAGAR — Political leaders from various parties condemned the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Tuesday, calling it a deliberate economic assault on Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector during peak fruit season, according to details received by The Chenab Times. Fruit-laden trucks have remained stranded for over two weeks due to heavy rains and flash floods.
The 270-km NH-44 was shut for nine days last month and reopened last week only for light vehicles, PTI reported. Thousands of trucks are affected, with growers facing significant losses from delayed market access.
National Conference Lok Sabha MP Ruhullah Mehdi alleged a pattern targeting the sector, which contributes over 75% to the region’s GDP. “There is a pattern… sometimes highway is closed. Our horticulture contributes seven times more than tourism. But there is a pattern of a war against our horticulture,” Mehdi said in Shopian, as quoted by PTI. He noted that even after partial reopening, Srinagar-bound trucks have not been allowed to proceed to Jammu.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti contacted Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha about the crisis in the apple industry, stating Sinha assured expedited truck movement to minimize losses, PTI reported.
Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) staged a protest in Srinagar, led by MLA Sheikh Khursheed, raising slogans of “Save Apple, Save Kashmir.” Khursheed called the blockade an “economic assault,” adding, “By keeping apple consignments stranded for days, the administration is silently crushing Kashmir’s economy,” as per PTI. Police dispersed the protesters and detained several, including the MLA.
CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami urged the Centre to facilitate truck movement and provide relief for flood and weather-related losses. He highlighted the exclusion of apples from schemes like PMFBY and called for reintroducing the Market Intervention Scheme for rotten produce. Tarigami also noted shortages in cold storage and the need for MSP implementation for apple growers in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, PTI reported.
Recent floods have caused heavy damage to lives, properties, and crops, with intermittent rains leading to premature fruit fall, exacerbating losses for growers.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
