Srinagar: Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole Monday said that 46000 trucks and trailers including 29,000 apple trucks had moved from Qazigund towards Jammu on alternate days from September 1 to September 25.
He said 3995 apple trucks moved from Kashmir towards Jammu on Sunday. The divisional commissioner said that normally apple production in Kashmir is 17 MTs but due to abundant rainfall, there had been a bumper crop and it would cross 21 MTs this year.
Pole said that the claim made by certain fruit growers’ associations on the halting of fruit trucks on the highway was half-truth and added that natural reasons were hindering traffic.
He said that the authorities had difficulties in the movement of traffic on the highway due to rains and resulting shooting stones but it was beyond human control.
The divisional commissioner appealed to the fruit growers and truckers to use the alternate Mughal Road to lessen the burden on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Almost 1500 trucks got stuck between Ramban and Ramsoo as traffic could not move ahead of Ramban with flow due to intermittent shooting stones at Mehar, causing regular stoppages.
The divisional commissioner said that at noon on Monday, the chief secretary took a review meeting which was attended by the Director General of Police (DGP) and all officers of the Traffic Department.
He said that the administration was making all efforts.
“At present, around 4000 trucks loaded with fresh, perishable, and petroleum products and other requirements of Kashmir are stranded in the Jammu region,” Pole said.
He said that the trucks were being cleared now while passenger vehicles could only be released from Jammu to Srinagar.
The divisional commissioner said that the congestion due to halted trucks had been cleared.
The capacity of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for one-way movement of Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV) is just about 3000 to 3500 if there is no disruption in traffic due to landslides, shooting stones, and breakdown of loaded trucks.
Anything above the capacity disturbs the entire cycle of up and down the release of traffic and results in piling up of traffic on the highway.
Meanwhile, it was informed that the production of fresh fruit during 2022-23 is estimated to be 21,23,047 MTs compared to 19,81,610 MTs in 2021-22 while the production of dry fruit during 2022-23 is estimated at 2,06,118 MTs compared to 1,92,497 MTs last year.