Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Friday questioned the reported stoppage of trucks carrying Kashmiri apples at Qazigund, saying the disruption had added to the difficulties already being faced by apple growers across the Valley at a critical point in the harvest and transport season.
Iltija said the horticulture sector was already grappling with numerous challenges, ranging from pricing pressures to logistical bottlenecks, and argued that any further interruption in the transportation of apple consignments would only aggravate the hardships confronting growers who depend heavily on timely movement of produce to markets outside the Valley. “Why are trucks carrying Kashmiri apples being stopped at Qazigund? Apple growers are already facing immense challenges. Such disruptions only add to their hardship and deserve an immediate explanation and resolution,” she said, framing the issue as one requiring urgent administrative attention.
The PDP leader said she had personally spoken to police officers regarding the matter and was informed that the movement of vehicles at Qazigund had been affected due to ongoing maintenance work on the highway stretch, an explanation she did not appear fully satisfied with given the scale of disruption it was causing to fruit laden vehicles.
Questioning the restrictions further, Iltija pointed out that if Amarnath Yatra buses and other private vehicles were being permitted to ply on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway during the same period, there appeared to be no clear justification for preventing trucks carrying locally produced apples from moving along the same route. She argued that the selective nature of the restriction, whether intentional or a byproduct of scheduling, was unfairly burdening growers and traders who have a narrow window each season to move their produce.
She urged the authorities to ensure that the maintenance work at Qazigund is completed expeditiously and that the movement of fruit laden trucks is facilitated without unnecessary delay, in order to prevent avoidable losses to growers and traders whose livelihoods depend on the apple trade. Warning of agitation if the situation was not resolved, Iltija said the PDP would stage a protest if fruit trucks were not allowed to ply freely on the highway by Saturday, setting a clear deadline for the administration to act.
