SRINAGAR: Member of Parliament from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, Mian Altaf Ahmad on Friday urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure priority movement of fruit-laden trucks on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44), saying repeated traffic disruptions were causing heavy losses to Kashmir’s horticulture sector.
In a statement, Altaf expressed concern over recurring traffic bottlenecks on the highway and called upon the administration, traffic police and transport authorities to facilitate the uninterrupted movement of vehicles carrying fresh fruit to markets across the country.
Describing horticulture as the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, he said delays on NH-44 have serious economic consequences for growers and traders as the produce is highly perishable.
“Traffic authorities must put in place a strict mechanism to prioritise the movement of fruit-laden trucks towards terminal markets across the country and prevent prolonged detentions at bottleneck points,” Altaf said.
He said frequent traffic halts and highway blockades undermine the hard work of orchardists and lead to avoidable financial losses. The MP also urged the administration to maintain smooth traffic flow on NH-44 and keep the Mughal Road operational as a dependable alternative route whenever required.
Recalling last year’s disruptions, Altaf said fruit growers had suffered substantial losses because of repeated interruptions in highway connectivity and stressed that similar hardships must be avoided during the current fruit season.
