Srinagar: Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Thursday blamed the Union Territory government for the hardships faced by fruit growers due to repeated closures of the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway.
Sharma said Kashmir’s apple industry, one of the region’s most vital economic sectors, has suffered heavy losses because of prolonged transport disruptions.
“The government in J&K has failed to provide any practical solution to this problem,” Sharma stated. “If fruit growers are facing difficulties today, it is due to the incompetence of the current administration. The non-serious, non-performing officials in power are the reason people are struggling.”
He noted that while the Lieutenant Governor had arranged a cargo train to transport fruit, the elected government had taken no similar measures. “If the LG can arrange a cargo train for fruit growers, why can’t the Chief Minister do the same? Why hasn’t he spoken to anyone or proposed a solution?” Sharma questioned.
Criticizing the state leadership, Sharma said they were “busy in Kochi, Chennai, and Paris” while growers incurred significant losses. He added that fruit growers now looked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address their concerns. “The only hope is that if Narendra Modi intervenes, these issues will be resolved. Otherwise, there is no hope from the elected government,” he said.
On calls to transfer management of the National Highway to the local government, Sharma pointed out that the road has always been under the National Highways Authority of India. “The National Highway exists nationwide. You cannot even maintain local link roads, so how can you manage the National Highway?” he remarked.
Sharma urged the administration to prioritize repairing link roads under PMGSY and the PWD. He also said he had requested a postponement of upcoming examinations, including the PSC’s Plus Two and judiciary exams, due to the difficulties caused by the highway disruption.
