Mehbooba Urges Emergency Measures for Evacuation of Kashmir Fruit Produce

Srinagar, Jul 29: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday urged the administration to take immediate emergency measures to ensure the smooth transportation of Kashmir's horticultural produce amid repeated disruptions on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway caused by landslides and inclement weather. Expressing concern over the difficulties faced by fruit growers, Mehbooba said prolonged highway closures were jeopardising the quality and market value of perishable produce, especially apples, during the peak harvesting and marketing season. "Every harvesting season reflects a year of hard work, investment and hope for our orchardists. With truckloads of fruit stranded due to disrupted road connectivity, the situation has gone beyond traffic management and has become an economic emergency," she said. Mehbooba called for priority movement of fruit-laden trucks and urged the administration to explore all safe alternative routes, including the Mughal Road for suitable commercial vehicles, whenever road conditions permit. In a statement, the PDP said the horticulture sector sustains the livelihoods of lakhs of people, including orchard owners, labourers, transporters, commission agents and packaging workers. It warned that continued disruption of the supply chain could result in heavy financial losses and adversely affect the rural economy. The party also called for a dedicated operational framework involving traffic police, civil administration and transport authorities to ensure the timely evacuation of horticultural produce. It urged the government to provide uninterrupted passage to trucks carrying perishable fruit whenever road conditions allow and emphasised that disaster management efforts should also focus on protecting the livelihoods of those dependent on the horticulture sector.