Key Points

Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg personally supervised the movement of 1200 apple-carrying trucks from the Valley through the Mughal Road to mitigate the crisis that has hit Kashmir's horticulture industry due to continuing disruption of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway since the last week of August.

A 50-60 metre long stretch of the highway has caved in near the Tharad Bridge in Udhampur as men and machinery of the border roads organisation are working round the clock to either restore the sunken portion or build a viable alternative.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and CM Omar Abdullah have met to monitor the restoration progress.

Fruit growers and traders of the Valley have been saying that they have suffered irreparable losses due to the rotting of fruit in trucks which have been parked on the highway for days.

The losses are estimated to run into crores of rupees. Amid the prolonged closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the authorities on Wednesday said that around 2,000 tonnes of apples have been transported to outside markets through the railway from the Valley.

Railway officials said that since last week, 1,25,376 apple boxes have been dispatched by freight train to Delhi.

"From Anantnag Railway Station, 87,137 boxes were dispatched, while 38,239 boxes were transported from Budgam Railway Station," officials said, adding that from Anantnag, 350 tonnes, 650 tonnes and 376 tonnes of apples were already loaded and dispatched in separate consignments.

From Budgam, around 600 tonnes have also been dispatched. Last year, Kashmir produced 20.4 lakh metric tonnes, thereby contributing 70 per cent to the country's total apple production.

The continuing disruption of the highway has adversely affected life in the Valley as petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, and LPG, have become difficult to obtain.

Petrol pumps have started putting out boards stating they have run dry, while LPG dealers are complaining of shortages of supplies. Poultry products, including chickens and eggs, are being sold at exorbitant rates while vegetable prices are soaring with each passing day.

- IANS