,Fruit growers from southern Kashmir held a protest demonstration on Thursday at the press enclave here against the highway ban on Wednesdays and Sunday.
Scores of fruit growers assembled here and demanded the revocationof highway ban and the construction of Mughal Road as alternative highway,besides seeking compensation for the losses they suffered due to untimelysnowfall in November last year.
General secretary of Jammu and Kashmir Kissan Tehreek, Ghulam Nabi Maliksaid, “The highway lockdown has resulted in fear among farmers, as they aresuffering loss worth crores. Around 10 lakh fruit boxes are lying in themandis.”
The protesters also demanded the compensation for the loss due tosnowfall in November 2018 which damaged the apple crop.
“One more announcement was made by the government to provide anincome support to small and marginal farmers, under the Pradhan Mantra KissanSamman Nidhi scheme but there is a huge number of farmers who has not receivedthe benefits so far,” he said.