Srinagar, Oct 01: Following the clearing of down traffic convey including fruit laden trucks on Srinagar Jammu National Highway (NH) last week, Traffic Police Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday said the month of September 2022, recorded movement of 51,306 trucks including 33,105 apple carrying trucks from Qazigund to other parts of the country.
J&K Traffic officials said that as per the data collected by NHAI at the Qazigund toll plaza, between O1-O9-2O22 and 30-09-2022, 51,306 trucks including 33,105 apple-carrying trucks moving from Qazigund to other parts of the country via NH-44.
J&K Traffic’s official spokesperson in a release stated, “given that the entire backlog of trucks at Qazigund was cleared on 26-09-2022, it is obvious that the daily flow of apple trucks from out of the Kashmir valley to other parts of the country is only 1100 apple trucks per day and not the higher figures of 2000 or 2500 apple trucks per day as is being claimed by vested interests.
Similarly, he added that the daily flow of trucks in the Kashmir Valley towards Jammu and other parts of the country is only about 1600 trucks per day.
“Given that the down HMV traffic movement on alternate days, the maximum stranded trucks at Qazigund is only 1600 trucks unless the down movement is hampered by partial or complete closure of the NH-44 due to shooting stones, landslides, or repair work. It may be noted that NHAI had requested for no traffic window of four hours per day for five days starting from 24th Sept 2022, for repair works which were allowed by the Government,” stated the officials.
An apex body of valley fruit growers, Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers cum Dealers Union, chairman, Bashir Ahmad Basheer told Rising Kashmir that they are happy to see the developments happening on the ground, saying that all the stranded fruit-laden trucks on NH-44 have been cleared and that they are witnessing smooth traffic movement especially of fruit trucks.
“We had raised certain demands with regard to the movement of fruit-laden trucks from the valley to other parts of the country and thankfully they have been fulfilled as more traffic personnel have been deployed on Srinagar Jammu National highway to ensure smooth movement of fruit trucks”, Basheer said.
He said that although a recent brief halt of fruit trucks on the Srinagar Jammu National Highway made them suffer some losses, currently they are quite busy with the harvesting and supply of apples and are hopeful of further smooth movement of apple fruit from the valley.
In an appeal, chairman KVFGCDU urged the drivers of fruit trucks to adhere to disciplined driving by following their respective lanes and not making unnecessary halts on highways, ensuring safe reach to their respective Mandis.
“Though we believe it will take couple more days to make it smoother traffic movement on the highway, but to our understating things are going smoothly as the mobilization of the traffic on the highway is smooth and also the DC Ramban, SSP Ramban, and Traffic National Highway, are there on the ground to take review for regulating the traffic smoothly”, Basheer added.
Meanwhile, as per the data available and reviewed by the Rising Kashmir, from 24th Sep 2022, NHAI had requested for no traffic window of four hours per day for five days starting 24th Sept 2022, for repair works which were allowed by the Government during which a total of 52 hours and 36 minutes was recorded as the total time of Road Blockage on NH-44, in which 35 hours and 05 Minutes were blocked due to shooting stones at Mehar Passi and 17 hours and 31 minutes were blocked due to repair NHAI.
As per the data maximum, road blockade was recorded on 27-09-2022, recording 13 hours and 44 minutes, and the minimum road blockade was recorded on 25-09-2022, recording only 02 hours and 10 minutes.
Sharing the Down Convoy details from 01-09-2022 to 30-09-2022, the officials said as per the NHAI data a total of 51,306 HMVs which included 33,105 fruit-loaded HMVs moved from Qazigund to other parts of the country.
As per the down convoy details for the month of September 2022, the maximum of HMVs movement was recorded on 12 -09-2022 as 6255 which included 2699 Apple-laden trucks. The minimum of down traffic convoy was recorded on 28 .O9 2022, recording only passing of 9 HMVs.
Notably, The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union (KVFGCDU) last Sunday decided to close down all fruit Mandis across all districts of the valley from September 25 to September 26, 2022, citing immense losses caused by the ‘continuous stoppage’ of fruit trucks on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44), claiming that the LG administration’s advisories are not being implemented on the ground.
Entire backlog of trucks at Qazigund cleared on Sept 26: Govt
33,105 apple carrying trucks moved to other parts of country via NH 44 from Sept 01 to Sept 30
Srinagar, Oct 01: The Divisional Administration Kashmir (DAK) Saturday said that the entire backlog of trucks at Qazigund was cleared on September 26, 2022 and as many as 33,105 apple carrying trucks moved from Qazigund to other parts of the country via NH 44 from September 01 to September 30, 2022.
In the handout the spokesperson of J&K Traffic Police Headquarter , said, “As per the data collected by NHAI at the Qazigund toll plaza 51,306 trucks including 33,105 apple carrying trucks moved from Qazigund to other parts of the country via NH 44 from September 01 to September 30, 2022.”
In a statement the spokesperson said, “The entire backlog of trucks at Qazigund was cleared on September 26, 2022.”
He said that the daily flow of apple trucks from Kashmir valley to other parts of the country is only 1100 apple trucks per day not the higher figures of 2000 or 2500 apple trucks per day as is being claimed by vested interests. He adds that the daily flow of trucks from the Kashmir Valley towards Jammu and other parts of the country is only about 1600 trucks per day.
Keeping in view that the Down HMV traffic moves on alternate days, the maximum stranded trucks at Qazigund is only 1600 trucks unless the Down movement is hampered by partial or complete closure of the NH 44 due to shooting stones, landslides or repair work, reads the official handout.
Due to the shooting stones from September 24 to September 30, the National Highway remained blocked for 35 hours and 05 minutes while for repair works it remained closed for 17 hours and 31 minutes, the statement reads.
It may be noted that NHAI had requested for no traffic window of 4 hours per day for 5 days starting 24th Sept 2022, for repair works which were allowed by the Government, reads the statement.
