Sopore Fruit Mandi traders protest against stoppage of their supply trucks on Sgr-Jmu highway

Srinagar: Scores of traders on Monday staged a protest in Asia’s second largest fruit Mandi in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district against halting of fruit-laden trucks along Srinagar-Jammu highway allegedly by the police.
Witnesses said scores of traders assembled in the premises of Sopore Fruit Mandi and held a protest against the authorities for “unnecessarily” stopping fruit laden trucks on Srinagar-Jammu highway.
The protesting traders said they have been facing huge losses as the loaded fruits get rotten on the highway due to the continuous stoppage of trucks. They warned that they would suspend trade at fruit Mandi Sopore in case police continued to stop fruit and vegetable-laden trucks on the national highway.
Sopore Fruit Mandi president, Fayaz Ahamd Malik said the traders have faced losses of around Rs 13 thousand crores after the abrogation of 370 last year and due to unnecessary stoppage of fruit-laden trucks by police at several places along Srinagar-Jammu highway. He said the authorities keep on turning blind eye towards this issue.
Meanwhile, the traders said that the distribution of early varieties of apples and other fruits and vegetables were badly affected as trucks remained halted on the highway for many days, resulting in losses to the fruit industry here.
When contacted, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Traffic division Kashmir, T Namgiyal, he said that the allegations were baseless as the trucks are moving smoothly on NH44.
He said around 5000 trucks moved outside the Union Territory via the Srinagar-Jammu highway today