SRINAGAR With trucks carrying perishable material like fruit and vegetable stranded on the lone highway connecting Kashmir with rest of the world due to blockade for military purposes Kashmiri traders today staged protests and shut the largest Fruit Mandi in Srinagar.
Parimpora Fruit Mandi remained shut on Monday against the indifferent attitude from authorities as vegetable and fruit laden trucks on the Jammu-Kashmir highway remain stranded for days. Businessmen dealing in fruit and vegetable business decided to go on indefinite strike thus all businesses working under the Parimpora Fruit complex closed down their gates as a mark of protest.
We had decided that we will go for an indefinite shutdown from April 29 in case the government does not take any initiative to solve our problems. All the shops are closed and we will be meeting later in the day to chalk out our further plan, said a businessman in the complex.
The traders are in protests against a virtual halt of fruit and vegetable-laden vehicles on Srinagar-Jammu highway for several days allegedly without any reason. The losses are being inflicted deliberately otherwise why the highway gets perfect to use if a trucker pays the bribe. We are witnessing this problem from the last three months now. This is a deliberate blockade, said Bashir Ahmed Bashir, President Fruit Growers Association.
This time a box of grapes would have cost not less than Rs 500 but when the stockist received his truck, he had to sell one box for Rs 80 or Rs 30 and there was no guarantee if any of the grapes would be in eatable condition. And it is the same with all fruits coming or going out of the Kashmir, said Wasim Hassan, one of the consignment agents. It is not only the trucks coming towards Kashmir are stopped but same is being done with the fruit-laden truck going out from Kashmir.
The Parimpora Mandi traders under the banner of Kashmir Economic Alliance decided unanimously to go for the strike as they are suffering huge losses due to the indifferent attitude on the only highway connecting Kashmir with the mainland India.
Bashir Ahmad Bashir had earlier said that dealers who suffered losses due to frequent highway closure during this years winter are now forced to shut down businesses due to mismanagement of traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. He also said that they have given written representation to the authorities as well.
Many traders also said that they work with banks but due to the present crisis their viability has stopped. We dont have any capital to re-infuse in the business.
The Parimpora Mandi comprises more than 300 shops and around 3000 people are directly associated with it for earning their livelihood.
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