Sopore: Halting of fruit-laden trucks on Srinagar-Jammu national highway has taken a heavy toll on Asia’s second largest fruit mandi in Sopore, with the mandi administration saying they have suffered Rs 500 crore loss in the month of September only.
Revealing the tentative loss assessment, President of the traders’ association at Fruit Mandi Sopore, Mudasir Ahmed Bhat, said that a trader suffers a loss of Rs 4-5 lakh per truck due to the authorities unnecessarily stopping trucks on the highway.
“If the situation doesn’t change, we will go for a hunger strike and the government will be responsible for that,” Bhat added.
Similarly, President Fruit Mandi Sopore, Fayaz Ahmed Malik, said that the fruit industry has already suffered heavy losses during the last several years and the government must at least ensure hassle-free movement of fruit trucks, so that the produce reaches markets on time and fetches a good rate.
Malik said that he is hopeful that the matter will be taken seriously after a meeting with the chief secretary, after which directions were passed by the government to allow movement of fruit-laden trucks.
Malik held SSP Traffic Shabir responsible for the situation. “Citing traffic jam reasons, the SSP is not allowing our trucks to pass,” he said.
Addressing the fruit traders and growers during a peaceful protest at Fruit Mandi in Sopore, DDC Member Adv Irfan Hafeez Lone said that by not allowing the fruit trucks towards Jammu, it seems the administration wants to crush the fruit industry.
He said that the fruit industry is the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy and almost 70% of the population is dependent on this industry.