Srinagar: People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday expressed concerns over the repeated disruptions on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, calling for immediate steps to ensure that horticultural produce reaches markets without delay.
In a statement, Mufti expressed deep concern over the growing distress among Kashmir’s fruit-growing community as repeated disruptions on the national highway, triggered by landslides and adverse weather, “continue to obstruct” the timely dispatch of horticultural produce to markets across the country.
“The present situation demands an extraordinary administrative response. Apples and other fresh produce cannot remain stationary for days without affecting quality, market competitiveness and growers’ earnings,” she said.
The burden of a natural disaster should not be compounded by the absence of a specialised transport strategy for one of Jammu and Kashmir’s most vital economic sectors, the PDP chief said.
Every harvesting season represents a year of patience, investment and hope for our orchardists, she said.
“Today, many growers are anxiously watching truckloads of their produce remain immobilised because the Valley’s road connectivity has been severely affected. The administration must recognise that this is not merely a traffic management issue but an economic emergency,” the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said.
She called for immediate steps to ensure that horticultural produce reaches markets without further delay, and that all safe alternatives, including the Mughal Road for suitable commercial vehicles, should be actively considered.
Mufti said Kashmir’s fruit industry generates livelihoods for lakhs of people, from orchard owners and labourers to transporters, commission agents and packaging workers.
Any prolonged disruption in the supply chain sends financial shockwaves across the rural economy, particularly during the peak marketing season, she asserted.
The party urged the authorities to establish a dedicated operational framework for the evacuation of horticultural produce, involving traffic management agencies, civil administration and transport authorities, so that commercial consignments carrying perishable fruit receive planned and uninterrupted passage whenever road conditions permit.
