Srinagar: AIP Protests Highway Blockade, Demands Immediate Relief for Valley’s Horticulture Sector
Srinagar: Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) workers, led by MLA Langate Sheikh Khursheed, staged a protest at Press Colony, Srinagar, on Tuesday, demanding the urgent reopening of the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway for heavy vehicles to prevent a collapse of the Valley’s horticulture sector.
Under the banner “Save Apple, Save Kashmir,” demonstrators raised slogans and carried placards highlighting the struggles of fruit growers, pointing to thousands of trucks stranded due to the prolonged blockade and warning of massive losses.
Addressing reporters, MLA Sheikh Khursheed said, “Horticulture sustains lakhs of families in the Valley. With the highway blocked and fruit rotting in trucks, growers face devastating losses. Government assurances are meaningless unless immediate action is taken to clear stranded consignments.”
AIP leaders cautioned that continued disruption could inflict irreversible damage on Kashmir’s economic backbone. They urged the Lieutenant Governor’s administration to prioritize the movement of fruit-laden trucks and ensure alternative routes, such as the Mughal Road, are fully operational for bulk consignments.
Following the protest, police detained dozens of demonstrators.
Various political groups and trade unions have also called on authorities to prevent further damage to the horticulture sector by ensuring smooth movement of fruit trucks on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.
