Baramulla, Oct 07: Asia’s second-largest fruit market, in north Kashmir’s Sopore is grappling with an acute shortage of water facilities that has left people associated with fruit business facing challenges during the peak fruit season.
Despite assurances from officials of the Jal Shakti division in Sopore, the fruit growers and buyers said that the situation remains dire at Sopore Fruit Mandi.
The Jal Shakti scheme, aimed at alleviating water woes, is slated for completion within the premises in a month, leaving the fruit traders and workers in the lurch until then.
Mudasir Ahmed, President of the Fruit Buyers Association, lamented the predicament, stating, “We are going through the toughest times due to the lack of water facility in the Fruit Mandi. We have to hire a water tanker daily, dipping into our own pockets for a resource that should be readily available.”
Truck drivers, integral to the bustling activity at the mandi, echoed these sentiments.
A truck driver, stranded for five days, bemoaned the miserable conditions exacerbated by the water shortage.
The scarcity extends to basic amenities, with morning scenes revealing a lack of water in washroom facilities, forcing individuals to purchase water bottles for their daily needs.
Shabir Ahmed, a truck driver with a decade-long association with the mandi, revealed the personal toll of the water crisis.
“Spending nearly Rs 100 per day on water bottles to quench my thirst in the absence of viable alternatives is a serious problem for drivers like me,” he added.
An official of Jal Shakti while acknowledging the challenges, assured that efforts were underway to resolve the issue.
“The construction of the Over Head Tank (OHT) project, estimated at around Rs 5 crores, is in progress and expected to conclude within a month.”
He said that the completion of the OHT project is anticipated to bring an end to the water crisis in the Fruit Mandi.
