Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir units of the Congress and the AAP on Sunday demanded the administration to ensure that fruit-laden trucks are let out of the Valley on priority, saying delay in transportation of cash crops would cause a huge loss to the Union territory’s economy.
Thousands of trucks transporting fruit are stranded on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway waiting to be transported to Jammu and outside. Because of this, fruit growers and vendors are facing huge losses, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Vikar Rasool Wani said during a press conference here.
Scores of vehicles have been stranded on the national highway due to mudslides and shooting stones, and the administration has been clearing the traffic by letting smaller private vehicles on priority, sources said.
“We demand the government to manage this crisis immediately and provide relief to the distressed fruit growers. If the government fails to ensure the timely passage of the trucks, the Congress will step on to the streets in their support,” Wani said.
He said the apple growers have been incurring huge losses as the trucks transporting the fruit remain halted on various stretches of the national highway for 10 to 20 days.
“It is a crucial season for the growers and the fruit will be spoiled if this continues. It is important that the trucks reach their destination in time,” he said.
Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Pratap Jamwal asked the administration, especially the traffic police, to ensure smooth movement of fresh fruit-laden trucks on the highway and Mughal Road on priority.
“Any delay in timely transportation of apples and other cash crops can lead to a big loss to the Jammu and Kashmir economy,” he said in a statement.
Jamwal castigated the administration for having no permanent and appropriate policy for a hassle-free moment of fruit-laden trucks during the crop harvest season.
Further, he accused the government of failing to take concrete steps to assess losses to the farmers and compensate them. (With PTI inputs)
