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| Fruit traders want old balances cleared first, threaten stir against government inaction | | LoC Trade | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Srinagar: As new fruits in Kashmir are beginning to ripe for vending, the traders associated with the commerce repent lackadaisical approach by government not to allow them visit Pakistan administered Kashmir to continue the trade. “We are yearning to dispatch new fruit to Pakistan occupied Kashmir but government has done nothing except for assurances to arrange our visit across the Line of Control to clear the balance pending with our counterparts in Muzaffarabad,” President Sopore Fruit Buyers’ Association, Haji Farooq Ahmad Malik said.
“We have been for long demanding that a delegation of traders be allowed to visit Pakistan to clear pending balance with the traders in Muzaffarabad but nothing has been done,” he said, adding, “The fruit traders are already running in loses and cannot afford further trade with Pak till our last balances are cleared.” He said that new fruits including the various varieties of pears will be dispatched to various markets from 25th of this month. Pertinently, the fruit traders in Kashmir have stopped sending their consignments across the Line of Control (LoC) due to lack of communication, banking arrangements and contact with traders across the border. “We still don’t know what happened to our consignments, amounting over Rs.33 lakh. The Sopore growers have alone sent fruit consignments for Rs. 18 Lakh,” Malik said. He said that the traders have communicated their grievance though their meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, minister for Horticulture, Health and Floriculture, Sham Lal Sharma and others. “They only assured us that the visit will be made possible soon, but nothing has happen on the ground,” he added. The Fruit Buyers’ Association president also threatened to launch protests incase government “continue to sideline the fruit traders.” “We give government fifteen days to arrange our visit or otherwise we will take to streets and may also not allow other trade though the LoC,” Haji Malik said. Haji Farooq also demanded that the compensation promised by the government be released. “Governor NN Vohra promised to compensate us for the losses we suffered last year but nothing has been done so far. We urge government to release it forthwith,” he said.
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