Srinagar, Sep 26: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) has urged the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure that fruit-laden trucks can travel freely along the Srinagar-Jammu national route.
In a statement, President, KCCI Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad and office bearers of KCCI stated they are deeply concerned over the matter that hundreds of trucks carrying apples were getting stranded on national highways, particularly near the 20km stretch from Qazigund to Banihal.
‘The government must effectively find a way out, as the apple harvesting season is gaining momentum with every passing day now. Any further delay in solving the problem can badly hit the Kashmir economy, mostly dependent on apple trade. This is peak fruit season in Kashmir and this is for the first time when we are seeing this mess on the national highway.”
The apple growers and traders have been alleging that the trucks are halted for days together and their movement frequently disturbed.
The spokesperson of KCCI said that if fruit does not reach markets outside J&K on time, its quality gets badly affected leading to financial losses to them.