With rising apprehensions that dead and sick livestock due to below freezing temperatures stranded on Srinagar-Jammu highway for days could have made their way to Kashmir markets, government has issued an advisory asking traders to ‘destroy deteriorated goods’, a move that has drawn flack.
Several traders said instead of taking practical steps to ensure dead or sick sheep are confiscated before they make their way to Kashmir markets, government is busy issuing advisories that cautions mutton dealers to ensure that such livestock is “destroyed on spot”.
The advisory was issued after Greater Kashmir published a news report about trucks carrying livestock on the highway are not being checked by authorities.
“How can you expect traders to destroy deteriorated goods and dead sheep. Instead of issuing advisories, government should set-up toll posts on highway to check supplies to the Valley,” said Mehraj-ud-Din Ganie, general secretary, All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association.
Even as government departments continue to pass the buck on traders, trucks laden with sheep have been reaching Kashmir markets without mandatory physical checks. As per sources instead of creating a fool-proof checking system of trucks on the new highway stretch between Qazigund and Srinagar, officials of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) only recover municipal charges from the truckers without checking their vehicles and allow them to proceed further .
“With just a few hundred rupees the truckers are allowed to enter Srinagar without a physical check of their vehicles. Instead of only issuing an advisory, the government should ensure that a foolproof monitoring system is created on the highway so that there is no apprehension of dead sheep reaching the markets,” said Ganie
Meanwhile the advisory issued by Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO) has stated that in view of Jammu-Srinagar highway having remained closed for several days, trucks with vegetables, livestock and other essential food items “resulting in deteriorated perishables”.
“There may be apprehensions that food products especially fruits and vegetables, perishable food items that were in transit may lead these perishables get deteriorated. In this regard all the stakeholders especially Food Business Operators dealing with livestock, fruit, vegetables and perishable food items are advised to ensure that deteriorated food items if any are destroyed on spot,” reads the advisory. It says in order to check the quality of food “the designated officers and the enforcement staff of various districts are directed to keep close vigil on the movement of vehicles transporting different food articles on the highway and adjoining areas to the Valley”.
“General public is also advised to be watchful and contact the enforcement staff of the commissionerate in case of complaint regarding the quality of food available in the markets,” reads the DFCO advisory.
Pertinenetly, no monitoring system exists along the new highway between Qazigund and Srinagar even as bulk of the traffic plies on this highway now. Kashmir imports mutton worth Rs 2,000 crore annually.