Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Sept 23: Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Ghulam Nabi Azad, today met a few dozen people including fruit growers during his visit to Baramulla town in North Kashmir.
A delegation of Fruit Growers Association Baramulla met Azad and discussed problems faced by them after August 5 clampdown.
Its president Mohammad Yusuf, told reporters that after meeting Azad fruit growers are facing immense problems after August 5 clampdown. “We spoke about problems faced by the fruit growers”, he said.
He added that there is total communication clampdown, transport is off the roads, banks are closed and there is complete shutdown which has affected their business. “It has led to rotting of apple in the orchards. Some have managed to get it to markets outside but it has fetched peanuts”, he added.
Yusuf said that they will not sell apple to Government as the rates are very low. “They give us Rs 52 per kilogramme for A grade apple which is around Rs 700 per box but same box fetches us Rs 1500-2000 in the market. Why should we sell it to them? We will sell it outside State,” he added.
A group of farmers also met Azad who discussed the problems faced by them. The labourers working in the stone quarries in the district also met him and said that they have been left jobless after August 5 due to prevailing situation in Kashmir.
Few cancer patients met Azad and highlighted the problems faced by them due to clampdown in Kashmir. They said that they are facing problems in getting therapies conducted besides facing shortage of medicines.
Few parents of the students studying outside Kashmir and abroad met Azad and said that they are facing difficulties in communicating with their wards. Others said that schools are closed and they are uncertain about future of their children.
The chairman of Municipal Committee Baramulla, Omar Kakroo, and some Councilors met him and discussed the current situation. Besides this some Congress workers met him and shared their experiences of last two months.
The Congress leader was on three day visit to Kashmir and will return to New Delhi tomorrow after concluding his visit. Sources said that he had sought permission to visit 14 places in Kashmir but was allowed to visit Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla districts only.
Azad was allowed by the Supreme Court to visit 4 districts of the Valley. The SC had made his visit subject to conditions which included that he cannot do any political activities during his visit as the Government had pleaded before the Apex Court that it can lead to public disorder in the Valley.
Earlier, Azad was disallowed to visit Kashmir twice. He had also arrived at Srinagar Airport along with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi but they were disallowed.
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