Jammu, Sep 25: Asking Jammu and Kashmir Government and especially the traffic police of Jammu and Kashmir to implements claims of facilitating smooth movement of fresh fruit laden trucks on National Highway and Mughal Road, AamAadmi Party’s (AAP) spokesperson PratapJamwal said that any delay in timely transportation of apple and other cash crops can lead to big loss of Jammu and Kashmir economy putting farmers in distress.
He also castigated Jammu and Kashmir Government for having “no permanent and proper policy for hassle free moment of fruit laden trucks during crop harvest season” and also for allegedly “not taking concrete steps of loss assessment and compensation for losses suffered by farmers dealing with apple growing due to one reason or the other.”
AAP’s spokesperson PratapJamwal, in an official statement, mentioned that apple is the main cash crop in Jammu and Kashmir and is also considered as backbone especially in Kashmir Valley with Kashmiri apples are having International recognition but successive governments in Jammu and Kashmir have badly failed to have a proper policy in hand to facilitate hassle free movement of crop laden trucks and both truckers carrying apple crop and crop owners face immense hardships in timely transportation of crop with many crop owners also suffer losses.
“Keeping in view the importance of Apple crop in JKs economy, Governments should have formulated a proper policy for transportation of crop during harvest season and also for timely loss assessment and compensation in case of damages suffered due to different reasons but it has been seen that there is no proper policy in hands of government and almost every year crop owners and truckers struggle hard to ensure timely transportation of crop and the crop owners have to run from pillar to post for loss assessment and compensation in case of crop damages,” he mentioned.
He further said that movement of vehicles on Jammu-Srinagar NHW is getting affected often due to shooting stones and landslides which is putting both the apple crop owners and truckers in distress as they are facing an inordinate delay in timely transportation of crop with traders in Shopian district also held a protest demonstration on Saturday stating that it is taking almost a week for a fruit laden truck to cover the distance between Kashmir Valley and Delhi.
Jamwal also mentioned about a fresh media report carried by a Jammu based media outlet in which it has been stated by some Apple growers and representatives of their organisations that around five to six trucks are stranded and traders are on the verge of a huge loss.
“This is a serious issue and should be dealt in an emergent manner,”Pratap said.
AAP’s PratapJamwal also said that recently Jammu and Kashmir Government and especially the traffic police of Jammu and Kashmir has made some claims to facilitate smooth movement of these trucks on highway and the official machinery should make it shows that all these claims are implemented in letter and spirit.
“We do welcome intervention by senior officers of concerned official machinery amid this outcry but these officer should ensure that all the steps decided from the offices and directions issue to the field staff are implemented in letter and spirit,” PratapJamwal said.
Regarding a recent statement issued by Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police asking traders from Shopian to use Mughal Road for movement, PratapJamwal said that there is need to have a proper traffic management system, especially at Poshana on Mughal Road, between Bufliyaz and Surankote and then at the stretches of Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch national highway where upgradation work is going on so that truckers get an easy atmosphere of movement.
He also asked the Government of India to ban import of these crops so that intra-country trade is strengthened.
