Fruit dealers decry ‘unjust’ traffic restrictions on Mughal Road

Shopian, Sep 5: Fruit dealers in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday lashed out at the Traffic Police for enforcing what they termed as “discriminatory and destructive” restrictions on the movement of apple and pear consignments through the Mughal Road.
The growers said that while heavily loaded 8 to 10 tyre trucks are being allowed to enter Kashmir, the same category of trucks carrying apples and pears out of the Valley are being barred from plying on the Mughal Road. “This is a strange and cruel rule. Our trucks are halted, fruits are rotting inside, and our livelihood is being crushed,” the aggrieved dealers said with frustration.
Fruit Association president, Muhammad Ashraf, said that only 6 tyre trucks are permitted to move out, which unfortunately, are not available in the market. Since the produce is already loaded in larger trucks, it is impossible to shift thousands of apple and pear boxes midway into smaller vehicles. “We cannot afford to hire new trucks. The fruit is perishable. Every passing hour is destroying our hard-earned produce,” he complained.
The protesting traders questioned the logic of allowing 8–10 tyre trucks to come into Kashmir but prohibiting the same from going out. “This is injustice. Our economy is bleeding. We are finished because of official apathy,” one fruit grower said.
The dealers also highlighted that the prolonged closure of the Srinagar–Jammu highway had already damaged their trade severely, and the fresh restrictions on Mughal Road were akin to a death blow. They appealed to the authorities to intervene immediately, saying that the arbitrary curbs threaten not only the fruit industry but also the livelihood of thousands of families dependent on it. [KNT]