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Kashmir growers fear for their fruit in pilgrimage traffic jams

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2 years ago

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  • Hundreds of thousands of people come through IOJK to visit shrine in Himalayan cave for Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage.
  • Security is tighter after Indian police claimed last week they had uncovered plot to attack pilgrims.
  • Fruit-laden trucks were stranded as security forces held up traffic to check for threats.

SRINAGAR: Fruit growers in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) said on Monday they were facing huge losses as truck-loads of apples, pears and other produce got caught up in traffic jams caused by a security crackdown during an annual Hindu pilgrimage.

Hundreds of thousands of people come through the region to visit a shrine in a Himalayan cave for the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage.

Numbers are even higher this year, as the event was shut down in 2021 during the pandemic — and security is tighter after police claimed last week they had uncovered a plot to attack pilgrims.

Fruit-laden trucks were stranded as security forces held up traffic to check for threats, Bashir Ahmad Basheer, from the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Union, told Reuters.

“Freshly harvested plums, peaches, pears and apples need to be transported outside Kashmir or else they may rot in this heat and we will face heavy losses,” he said.

An Indian forces official Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, acknowledged there was a problem and said the Indian government was working on plans to ease traffic.

“Trucks will only be stopped when pilgrims travel on the highway and trucks loaded with perishables won’t face any inconvenience,” he told reporters.

Indian soldiers carrying automatic assault rifles and wearing flak jackets have been out guarding roads since the Hindu pilgrimage began in the Muslim-majority region in June.

“Pilgrims are our guests but our trucks should not be stopped,” orchard owner Ghulam Mohammad Malik told Reuters.

He said farmers and traders would together face losses of 30 million Indian rupees ($380,000) per day if congestion did not ease.

Fruit cultivation is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, and gives work to about 3 million people, according to the growers union.

During the pilgrimage, Hindus cross glaciers and waterlogged trails to reach the mountain cave which contains an ice stalagmite that is considered a physical manifestation of a Hindu god, Lord Shiva.

The cave is covered in snow for most of the year, but authorities let pilgrims visit it for 45 days over the summer as rising temperatures clear the passes.

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As of today, the F-8 Underpass is now open to traffic. Naqvi

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According to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, traffic will begin to flow through the F-8 Exchange Underpass today.

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He said with the completion of the projects, citizens’ traffic woes will end.
The minister also ordered protection of trees during construction of projects.

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Climate-related challenges are growing in Pakistan, and the prime minister’s climate aide is advocating for gender-inclusive climate resilience.

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During her presentation on climate change, Prime Minister’s Coordinator Romina Khurshid Alam emphasized the importance of gender-inclusive climate resilience in light of the fact that Pakistan is experiencing a worsening of the effects of climate change.

Alam brought up the fact that women living in rural areas are especially vulnerable, but they are also vital to finding sustainable solutions during a discussion with a team from the Green Tech Hub at NUST and UN-Women.

It was discussed by the delegation that the Green Tech Hub, which was established in October at NUST, should be expanded in order to encourage innovation in the fields of climate adaptation and renewable energy. In order to bolster the project, Romina Alam has committed to providing help in the pursuit of acquiring financing and collaborations.

The necessity of providing women with the knowledge and tools necessary to create resilience was emphasized by Romina Alam, who also called for climate strategies that are inclusive and take into account the specific issues that women face and the potential that they have to take on leadership roles.

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