| Flood aftermath: Truck union looting apple growers, doubles freight charges | | DC, ARTO Anantnag in slumber | | Saahil Suhail
Anantnag, Sept, 26: Even as the administration takes a nap, the truck unions are looting the apple growers especially in South Kashmir. Anantnag apple growers told Early Times that truck unions of the district have flashed allegiance with administration and have increased freight charges unreasonably, resulting serve problems to them.
"At a time when whole Kashmir is mourning flood devastation, truck unions are looting us by demanding double freight charges due to the absence of government," Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Chingund Bijbehara who himself owns an apple orchard said.
He said there has been mushroom growth of truck unions owing to official neglect. "What we can do, they compel us to pay hiked charges as we don't have facilities like cold stores," he added.
Apple growers in Khiram Sirhama said local agents were too looting the orchard owners in league with the truck unions. They said that after floods truck unions increased charges as the district administration and particularly transport authorities have not yet came out of the flood debris.
"Now two weeks have gone since the district administration submerged, locals of the affected areas have mustered courage by leaving the relief camps and rebuilding their houses at own but administration is still under water and invisible," Marhama villagers rued They said that despite repeated pleas administration hasn't paid any heed to their problems. According to apple growers, truck unions have doubled the freight charges. They said that freight of each apple box from Anantnag to Jammu cost Rs 70 to 80.
"The one way traffic on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is one main reason for the increase in carriage charges." Pointed out, Manzoor Ahmad, a Khiram resident, Important to mention here that floods in Jammu and Kashmir hasn't only affected the areas which inundated but has affected horticulture crop. According to Assocham study over Rs 1,000 crore worth of apple crop has been damaged due to of devastating floods. |
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