RTC trucks roll out to valley mandis after transport, freight crisis

Srinagar, Sep 19: After weeks of anxiety for Kashmir’s apple growers, the Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) has rolled out 55 trucks to major fruit mandis in Sopore and Shopian after weeks of crisis marked by a shortage of vehicles and soaring freight charges.
General Manager, Loads & Cargo, JKRTC, Bashir Ahmed Sofi said that the deployment followed direct instructions from the government after persistent appeals from growers.
“The minister instructed us to ensure there is no shortage of trucks for fruit transportation. Today, we have mobilised 55 vehicles, including 14 big trailers and other small trucks, to Sopore mandi and 10 trucks to Shopian. These will carry fruit to Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and other stations,” he said.
He said concessional freight had been fixed to protect growers. “For Delhi, the charge is Rs 130 per box and Rs 120 for Punjab, compared to the usual Rs 240–250. A margin of Rs 10 has been left so that labourers can be paid directly,” Bashir explained.
For the past several weeks, apple growers had struggled with no transport availability, as frequent closures of the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway left thousands of fruit-laden trucks stranded. With RTC absent from the scene, private transporters exploited the situation by hiking freight abnormally. Freight to Delhi and Punjab nearly doubled, forcing many growers to sell their produce at throwaway rates or risk losses as apples piled up in mandis.
The President of Asia’s second-largest, Sopore Fruit Mandi, Fayaz Ahmed Malik @ Kaka Ji, said the relief came late but was welcome. “Thousands of apple boxes were lying stranded here with no vehicles to lift them. Private truckers were charging at will. The 40 RTC trucks that have come today will help, but our requirement is at least 200–300 trucks daily to clear the backlog”, he said, urging the government to prioritise horticulture transport the way it does during the Amarnath Yatra.
Growers speak
Orchardists voiced relief but stressed that the crisis was far from over.
“At least now there is some support from RTC. But unless trucks are deployed consistently every day, our losses will continue”, said Ghulam Rasool, a grower from Rafiabad.
Similarly, Abdul Majid, another grower, said they cannot afford highway closures. “When fruit doesn’t reach Delhi or Kolkata on time, buyers turn elsewhere, and it is the grower who bears the loss,” he said.
Daily monitoring assured
General Manager Sofi said the corporation will closely monitor the situation and increase the fleet as more vehicles become free from food supply duty.
“The minister has instructed that strict action be taken against any private trucker found overcharging. RTC will continue deputing trucks daily so that the fruit industry, which is the backbone of our economy, is not made to suffer,” he said.
Govt warns of strict action against overcharging
Private Secretary to Minister Satish Sharma, Sanjeev Sharma, said the government has issued strict directions to prevent any exploitation of fruit growers during the apple season.
He said private truckers will face action if found overcharging, particularly during highway closures when freight rates often shoot up. “The minister has made it clear that strict action will be taken against such practices,” he said.
Sanjeev said the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) will inspect trucks to ensure fair freight charges and to keep transport accessible to growers.
With apple harvest at its peak, growers have appealed to the government to ensure uninterrupted transport availability and smooth highway connectivity, warning that any delay could devastate the Valley’s horticulture economy and the livelihood of lakhs of orchardists. (KNO)