After tourism, now horticulture gets badly hit : Sajad Lone

Srinagar, Sep 16: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference President and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone criticised the administration over the prolonged closure of the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway, saying the issue had caused major losses to the apple industry, as per KNS.

In a post on X, Lone said it takes “hundreds of crores of losses in terms of rotting apples to wake up a wandering CM to actually issue a statement.”

He said the apple industry forms the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, and that an economy already affected by tourism losses is now facing heavy setbacks in horticulture as well. Lone said that expression of concern from those in power was not enough. “Mere expression of concern from the ruling establishment is a luxury,” he wrote.

He also questioned the role of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in handling the road closure and asked why there was no coordination with local authorities to address the issue.

He said that while he could understand the Union Government treating the blockade like any other highway closure, the state administration should have recognised that the situation had a far greater impact on local livelihoods. “I can understand Union Government treating it like yet another highway closure. But you should have known it is not yet another closure,” he added.