Dulloo Reviews Steps to Ensure Smooth Transport of Valley Fruit to Outside Markets
SRINAGAR, Oct 10: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting in Srinagar to review the movement of Kashmir’s fruit consignments to markets outside the Valley and ensure that the ongoing fruit season passes without logistical hurdles.
Senior officers, including the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Secretary Transport, IG Traffic, Transport Commissioner, Secretary Agriculture Production, MD HPMC, and officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) attended the meeting.
Dulloo took a detailed review of the current condition of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) — the lifeline for Kashmir’s trade — and the status of fruit-laden trucks heading out of the Valley. He directed that no truck carrying fruit should remain stranded on the highway and asked departments concerned to ensure safe and priority passage for these vehicles.
He also reviewed the situation regarding vehicles stranded on either side of the highway and directed for their timely clearance to avoid any disruption in supplies.
To ease long-distance transportation, the Chief Secretary asked officials to explore the possibility of using rail freight services for shipping fruit to major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. He instructed the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to coordinate with fruit growers and the Divisional Railway Manager, Jammu, to examine the feasibility of such a service.
Officials informed the meeting that sufficient transport vehicles are currently available and that fruit growers are not facing major difficulties in moving their produce.
Secretary Transport, Avny Lavasa, said that if required, J&K SRTC trucks would be pressed into service to ensure smooth evacuation of fruit from the Valley to outside markets.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to supporting the horticulture sector, Dulloo said the administration is focused on ensuring seamless transportation of apples and other produce, which form a major part of the Valley’s economy.
He urged all departments to maintain close coordination and take proactive measures to ensure the fruit reaches markets on time.
Recent Comments