SRINAGAR, July 29: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to take immediate emergency measures to ensure the uninterrupted transportation of Kashmir’s horticultural produce, warning that repeated disruptions on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway are putting the Valley’s fruit economy at risk.
Mehbooba said the recurring landslides and adverse weather conditions disrupting the highway have left trucks carrying perishable produce stranded, threatening the quality and market value of fruit, particularly apples, during the crucial harvesting and marketing season.
She described the situation as an “economic emergency” rather than merely a traffic-management issue and called for immediate intervention to prevent losses to orchardists.
“Every harvesting season represents a year of patience, investment and hope for our orchardists,” Mehbooba said, adding that growers were anxiously watching their produce remain immobilised because of disrupted road connectivity.
She urged authorities to prioritise the movement of fruit-laden trucks whenever road conditions permit and to examine all safe alternative routes, including the Mughal Road for suitable commercial vehicles.
The PDP said Kashmir’s horticulture sector supports the livelihoods of lakhs of people, including orchard owners, agricultural workers, transporters, commission agents and packaging workers. Continued disruption of the supply chain, it warned, could result in substantial financial losses and affect the wider rural economy.
The party called for a dedicated operational mechanism involving traffic authorities, the civil administration and transport agencies to facilitate the movement of horticultural consignments whenever conditions allow.
It also urged the administration to ensure planned and uninterrupted passage for commercial vehicles carrying perishable fruit and said disaster-management measures should go beyond simply restoring road connectivity.
The latest demand comes amid repeated weather-related disruptions on the highway, a critical transportation artery for Kashmir that connects the Valley with markets in Jammu and the rest of the country.
For fruit growers, prolonged highway closures can mean delays in reaching wholesale markets, deterioration in produce quality and higher transportation and logistical costs. The PDP has therefore urged authorities to act swiftly to prevent avoidable losses during the marketing season.
The party said protecting horticulture-dependent livelihoods should form part of the government’s response to weather-related road disruptions, alongside efforts to restore traffic on the affected highway.
