Sopore, Sept 13: Asia’s second-largest fruit mandi, located in Sopore, witnessed a peaceful protest today as hundreds of fruit growers and traders gathered to express deep concern over the massive losses incurred due to the continuous blockade of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

Addressing the media, President of the Sopore Fruit Mandi Association, Fayaz Ahmad Malik, painted a grim picture of the crisis. He revealed that thousands of fruit-laden trucks have been stranded for days on the national highway, resulting in estimated losses ranging between ₹1,000 to ₹1,200 crore. “The perishable nature of the produce means every hour of delay is causing irreversible damage to the livelihood of thousands of growers,” Malik said.

In a fervent appeal to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Malik urged the administration to immediately provide a two-day exclusive traffic clearance window for fruit-laden vehicles heading toward Jammu. He stressed that such a measure is essential to prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control.

Malik also called for the urgent restoration of train services from Sopore, arguing that rail connectivity could act as a lifeline for the Valley’s fruit industry. “Kashmir is a major exporter of apples and other horticultural produce. Without reliable transportation, the entire sector is collapsing under financial stress,” he added.

The protesting growers lamented that this season has been one of the worst in recent memory, as repeated disruptions in transportation have left them battling heavy losses and mounting debts. They appealed to the government to step in without delay, warning that any further negligence could cripple the horticulture sector, which is the backbone of the local economy.

The protest concluded peacefully, but with a clear message: unless immediate action is taken, the crisis in Asia’s second largest fruit mandi may snowball into a catastrophe for Kashmir’s agrarian community

Jammu, Sep 13: Residents along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have welcomed the initiative of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to get the new houses constructed for families affected by Pakistan shelling,’ the recent floods and terrorism.

The High-Range Rural Development Society (HRDS) India in collaboration with the Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir will build more than 1500 houses for the victims of Pakistan shelling, recent floods and the terrorism.

“We lived for years amid rubble and fear. The news of new houses being built feels like a sunrise after a long, dark night, giving us hope for the future,” residents of frontier areas told KNO over phone.

“Cross-border shelling destroyed walls, roofs, and the peace we once had. Hearing that new houses will be constructed for those affected by Pakistan shelling gives us hope that our children can grow up without fear of the next attack,” said Fatima Bano from Poonch.

Residents in Poonch, Uri and Karnah Tangdar welcomed the announcement.

Mohammad Iqbal from Poonch, whose home was damaged during the cross-border shelling in May, said, “Finally, we will have a safe home for our children after all these months of living in temporary shelters.”

“We hope the government begins construction of these houses soon. This is a much-needed relief for border residents who lost their homes during shelling,” he said.

Mehar Bano from Uri said, “Our house was partially destroyed by Pak shelling. This project gives us hope that we can start afresh without fear of the past returning.”

Rashid Ahmad from Karnah Tangdar said, “We have waited for months for support. Many houses in our area were damaged, and some residents lost relatives during the shelling. No compensation was provided earlier, so the announcement that new houses will be constructed for sufferers is a welcome step for us and will help us rebuild our lives with dignity.”

Suhail Ahmad, another resident from Poonch, said, “The monthly health check-ups and digital connectivity will improve our standard of living. It is not just a house but a complete support system.”

Officials said the initiative is expected to be completed in phases, prioritizing families who suffered the most damage. The project has been welcomed as a major step toward restoring normalcy and security for those living along the LoC.

Pertinently, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday presided over the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HRDS India and the divisional administrations. “Construction of houses is more than just putting up structures. It is about building dreams and providing a fresh start for affected families,” he said, adding that the initiative aims to support families whose homes were damaged by natural calamities and unprovoked shelling on civilian populations.

The HRDS India will provide three-bedroom “Smart Houses” with modern features ensuring comfort and safety.

Srinagar, Sep 12: The High Court of J&K and Ladakh has asked Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to submit by October 28 the action taken report on suggestions of amicus curiae in Public Interest Litigations (PILs), including Environmental Policy Group (EPG)’s regarding the prevention of floods in Kashmir.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal ordered for filing of the report after the Divisional Commissioner, who was present virtually, said that the suggestions and recommendations by the amicus were still being examined.

In response to his request that the necessary information was being collated and the proceedings be deferred by four weeks to submit the Action Taken Report (ATR), the court adjourned the matter to October 28.

In keeping with the directions of the court, a comprehensive report was prepared by Advocate Nadeem Qadri as amicus curiae that was submitted to the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, through senior Advocate General, Mohsin Qadri.

The report carried the suggestions regarding the River Jhelum and other water bodies.

The report suggests an independent third-party inspection and evaluation of all the temporary and permanent works for floods executed by the government till date to justify the enormous amount of expenditure incurred with physical progress achieved and the impact of such works for flood protection in Kashmir on the basis of environmental assessment.

This exercise is necessary as previous financial government audits have raised serious concerns about these works, the report says.

The report indicates that the authorities concerned need to answer as and when the works related to Phases I, II, and III of the flood recovery project would get completed on the ground for benefits to accrue.

“What is the present status of the works of improvement of the existing Flood Spill Channel (FSC), which comprises removal of encroachments, its dredging, improvements of its embankments, all of which need to be provided along with the expenditures incurred and physical quantity of work done,” read the report.

The report seeks to know about the expected date of completion of works related to FSC, the present flow carrying capacity of River Jhelum, its tributaries, inland navigation waterways in Srinagar city, and the FSC with reference to the flood-related works executed so far on a holistic basis.

“What magnitude of probable floods can the riverine system of Jhelum carry presently, and would that be safe for the Valley,” it says.

The report indicates that for cities, towns, and villages located on either bank of the river, there needs to intercept, divert, and to provide Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for the treatment of all generated sewage, storm, and waste water.

“Allow only the treated effluents from such STPs to outfall into the river which conform to the Standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board, J&K Pollution Control Committee for discharge of treated effluents of STPs into natural receiving waters,” it says.

The report seeks to know what happened to the action plan for re-establishing the pre-existing network of streams, wetlands, lakes, and the River Jhelum to show interlinkages between numerous water bodies.

The report suggests that the Wetlands Reserves like Hokersar, Khushalsar, Hygam, and Mirgund, Pampore Wetlands, need to be eco-restored and conserved in accordance with the stipulations envisaged in the ‘Integrated Management Action Plan for Wetland Conservation Kashmir- 2022- 2027’ already approved by the government and submitted to the Centre for funding.

This would of course, also require a reappraisal in consideration of climate change effects that have been witnessed over the past years, it says.

To prevent the possibility of recurrence of devastating floods like September 2014, the court last year directed authorities to file an ATR indicating the preventive measures they have taken in order to deal with the precarious issue of floods in Kashmir.

The court had also directed the government to furnish utilization certificates in respect of the amount to the tune of Rs 413.24 crore released by the Centre for various projects undertaken by Jammu and Kashmir.

The court had directed all the concerned Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to ensure that no constructions were raised near the water bodies within their territorial jurisdiction.