Suhail Khan
Sopore : Scores of Apple growers and dealers of north Kashmir on Wednesday staged a protest at Asia’s second largest fruit mandi in Sopore against frequent highway closures.
People associated with the fruit industry during protest said more than 2000 fruit-laden trucks are stranded along the highway,since past 22 days has inflicted losses in large scale.
The protesting fruit growers and dealers said that prolonged closures of Srinagar-Jammu highway the only route which connects Kashmir with the rest of the world have adversely affected the horticulture industry of the state and with the suspension of fruit loaded trucks this adds to the sufferings of the people associated with fruit businesses.
We are yet to overcome losses of this year’s unrest and now we are being forced to become subject to an untimely highway closure, the protesting fruit dealers told Kashmir Despatch. They said that delicious apples are about to perish.
Meanwhile protesting fruit growers and dealers urging higher authorities to allow movement of traffic immediately so that they ll get a sign of relief.
