Fruit traders stage protest at Fruit Mandi Sopore
Allege that supply trucks are halted unnecessarily along highway
Sopore: Scores of traders from Fruit Mandi Sopore staged a protest at Asia’s second largest Fruit Mandi in north Kashmir’s against the authorities for allegedly stopping their fruit-laden trucks along the Srinagar-Jammu highway.
The protesters alleged that they are suffering huge losses due to the alleged stoppage of fruit laden trucks along the highway.
The protesters said that the continuous stoppage of hundreds of fruit laden trucks loaded from this Sopore Mandi by the police along the highway has led to the huge losses for the traders.
“We are facing huge losses as the fruits get spoiled due to continuous stoppage of trucks,” said a group of traders.
The protesting traders threatened that they would suspend trade at fruit Mandi Sopore in case police continues to stop fruit and vegetable-laden trucks on the highway.
Fruit Mandi Sopore President, Fayaz Ahmad Malik said that their trucks are frequently being stopped by the police.
He said that traders have faced losses of around Rs 15,000 crores after the abrogation of Article 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 a blind eye towards this issue.
“We have time and again requested the concerned authorities and again we request the LG administration to look into the matter and solve this issue once for all. We have been going through torrid times due to Covid-19 and the Aug 05, 2019 clampdown,” he added.
Bilal Ahmad
