Srinagar, Sept 19: Traffic authorities on Monday directed all its concerned officers to take immediate measures for providing smooth passage to fruits laden trucks on Srinagar-Jammu national highway (NH), officials said.
According to a press release, the Inspector General of Police Traffic (IGP),Vikramjit Singh passed the directions to all Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of traffic including SSP NH to take immediate necessary measures so that fruit-laden trucks are provided a smooth passage and are not stranded on the NH.
He further instructed that an extra time may be given to the down convoy to ensure clearance of stranded fruit-laden vehicles and directed that no vehicle would be allowed for up traffic on down HMV days to ensure hassle-free movement.
“In order to ensure full transparency, IGP Traffic asked the Horticulture Department and horticulture associations to depute their representative with Traffic officials at Banihal and Qazigund for ensuring smooth movement of fruit trucks,” the officials said.
The IGP said that the J&K traffic police is committed to ensure smooth vehicular movement on NHs and other roads, for which their department is seeking support and cooperation from the concerned stakeholders of compliance towards the daily traffic schedule movement on NHW-44 and other roads.
“We have three 24 x 7 control rooms in J&K, and on a daily basis, traffic movement schedules are being issued so as to ensure the smooth movement of traffic on NHW”, IGP traffic said.
The IGP Traffic said that the NHW-44 is witnessing a high flow of traffic due to the fruit harvesting time and it’s mobilization from the valley to other parts of the country
He said he already had a meeting with the Horticulture Department, fruit growers, and other concerned stakeholders where the smooth movement of fruit trucks from the valley was discussed.
The matter of decongesting at Ramban and Banihal market was taken up Department of Horticulture was asked for pasting stickers of an “Apple” picture on the windscreen of each fruit-laden truck for ease of identification so that the Apple carrying truck could be parked separately and released on priority, the statement said, adding that it was decided that a Whatsapp group would be created at Traffic Hqrs level in which all stakeholders including representatives of Horticulture associations shall be added for timely redressal of grievances of fruit growers.
As HMVs ply on NH-44 on alternate days, it was suggested to the representatives of various trade associations to follow the timetable for the release of trucks on the National Highway and dispatch their vehicles accordingly, so that fruit trucks loaded with fruit would not get stuck at Qazigund, the statement said.
It was also suggested to Directors of Horticulture and Agriculture to use Mughal Road on those days when HMVS plays from Jammu to Srinagar on NHW-44.
Meanwhile, IGP Traffic J&K as per the release assured the participant traders and fruit growers that frequent review meetings will be held in the coming days to ensure hassle-free movement of fruit-laden trucks and implementation of decisions.
