Transporters refuse to ferry supplies

Dilapidated condition of the road and twice-a-week ban on civil traffic movement has caused unprecedented hike of 40 percent in freight charges on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Consequently, transporters are refusing to ferry supplies to Kashmir.

On an average, a trucker carrying supplies from Delhi toSrinagar used to charge Rs 40,000 to 50,000, now the rates have gone to aroundRs 80,000. Similarly freight charges from Mumbai, Kolkatta have gone up by 40percent, stoking unprecedented price rise in Kashmir.

   

Even with increased freight charges, transporters arerefusing to ferry supplies to Kashmir due to the government imposing ban onhighway travel for two days a week – which has now been reduced to one day –and frequent closure of the highway due to landslides.

“It took me 13 days to delivery order in Srinagar fromKolkata, normally this journey was completed in 5 to 6 days,” said ChanderPrakash, a trucker who now refuses to operate on Jammu-Srinagar NationalHighway citing wastage of time.

“I have lost my time due to the pathetic condition of thehighway. Nowhere a 300-kilometre journey takes this much of time,” he said.

Chairman, All Kashmir Fruit Growers and Vegetable DealersUnion, Bashir Ahmad Basheer, said the freight rates have gone up 40 percent.

“We are facing peculiar situation as the transport chargeshave gone up by around 40 percent since the government imposed two-day ban onvehicular traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. A normal truck trip fromDelhi to Srinagar which used to be completed in a week’s time, takes more thantwo weeks, which again is a loss for transporter as well as for traders,” heexplained.

“Condition of our highway is already known to all, but thisban has added to the chaos,” he said adding that government must do away withthe ban on highway as it already remains closed for at least twice a week dueto landslides.

Kashmir’s dependence on outside supplies has increasedmanifold over the years. Whenever the highway remains closed, there is scarcityof goods, ultimately resulting in price hike.

Currently essential prices have skyrocketed in Kashmir,mutton is being sold at Rs 500 a kg against the government approved price of Rs430. Chickens are priced at Rs 160 per kg, prices of vegetables and fruits toohave soared since the highway ban was put in place.

A single day of the highway closure costs Kashmir economyaround Rs 95 crore, according to rough estimates.  

The recently-released government figures say that J&Kimported goods and raw material worth Rs 58,050 crore in 2017-18, of which 60percent—around Rs 34,800 crore—is imported to the Kashmir division.

The Kashmir-based business community as well as civilsociety members state that the failure of the mainstream political parties toensure round-the-year connectivity has dented Kashmir’s economy badly.

The Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) Index hasgiven only one index point to J&K, placing it at the bottom of the list ofstates having “worst logistic” connectivity in India.

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