Excelsior Correspondent
RAFIABAD, Sept 28: Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (PC) senior vice -president and former minister Abdul Gani Vakil today urged the Central Government to announce a special economic package for the fruit growers in Kashmir and demanded to waive off KCC and other loans as it can be sigh of relief to the community who heavily suffered losses due to recent blockade of fruit laden trucks on Jammu- Srinagar Highway.
“Fruit growers in Kashmir are facing acute hardships as the administration has sidelined their demands,” he said.
“Most of the growers are struggling in paying their taxes, loans and other things. We have seen fruit industry which was once the backbone of J&K’s economy is presently at the verge of extinction,” Vakil added.
Vakil said it is unfortunate that each of our fruit growers have faced heavy losses as Government has failed to upgrade its infrastructure from the past several years. Vakil urged Central Government to intervene in the matter, so that valley-based growers would not be discouraged.
During tour of Drusoo, Saripara, Buden in Rafiabad Constituency and Rampor, Rajpur, Dooru and Warpora in Sopore constituency, he met several deputations of fruit growers who apprised him about the present condition of fruit growers. They revealed that fruit growers have already been badly hit due to the pandemic, unrest, weather vagaries, increase of taxes by Bangladesh Government and now the recent blockade of fruit laden trucks on Jammu- Srinagar Highway has broken the back of the fruit growers as the fruit got heavily damaged.
Vakil assured the growers he will continue to raise his voice for development of the fruit industry and assured the deputations that Peoples Conference will leave no stone unturned in developing Horticulture sector and will be one of the major to goals to achieve if they come to power.
He appealed to the Indian Government and especially PM Narendra Modi to take special steps to revive the fruit industry by granting a comprehensive economic package to fruit growers.
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