Day after Omar-Gadkari meet, trucks carrying apples move towards Jammu

Less than 24 hours after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a virtual meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to review the status of restoration of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, hundreds of stranded trucks carrying apples were allowed to proceed towards Jammu region, bringing major relief to the Valley’s fruit industry.

Apple growers and traders across Kashmir Valley had criticised the government over the prolonged closure of the Jammu–Srinagar NH — the vital link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country. The closure triggered a panic as fruit growers were unable to transport apples in the ongoing harvest season.

As pressure mounted on the elected government over the issue, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rushed a senior minister and legislators to take stock of the situation. Following his meeting with Gadkari, Omar again reached Jammu’s Udhampur — for the second time recently — to oversee the restoration of NH-44.

Till late Wednesday evening, 1,600 fruit-trucks were released from Qazigund towards Jammu. “All efforts are on to clear the stranded trucks from the highway,” SSP Traffic Rural Kashmir Ravinder Paul Singh said.

Separately, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg told The Tribune that since Monday, 4,000 trucks carrying apples moved towards Jammu region through Ramban and Mughal Road routes.

For the past few days, apple-growers and traders have staged protests in the Valley over the crisis. According to the fruit associations, the highway closure had triggered losses over Rs 1,000 crore to the horticulture industry.

Apple harvesting in Kashmir begins in August with the peak season stretching through September and October. During this period, about 1,500 trucks carrying apples leave the Valley each day for various parts of the country.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with his Cabinet colleague Javed Ahmed Rana, visited the affected stretch of NH-44 at Thard in Udhampur district to take stock of the ongoing restoration works. The CM instructed the executing agencies to mobilise additional men and machinery to ensure timely completion.