Shopian, Oct 6: Hundreds of trucks carrying apples through south Kashmir’s Shopian town are causing prolonged traffic jams, leaving commuters struggling to navigate the roads as the fruit harvesting season reaches its peak.
With harvesting operations gathering pace across the district, a large number of fruit-laden trucks enter Shopian town every day to transport apples from fruit-growing villages to the Fruit Mandi Shopian. The movement has intensified in recent weeks, with trucks travelling through the town throughout the day, particularly during peak hours.
The steady flow of heavy vehicles has slowed traffic on key stretches, with commuters reporting delays in reaching workplaces and returning home.
“The traffic jams are more frequent near Shirmal and Rangkadal bridge, where the road leads towards Aglar Mandi,” said Javed Ahmad, a commuter.
He said the congestion had become a daily problem since the beginning of the harvesting season.
“I have been reaching late to my workplace and also getting delayed while returning home,” he said.
Residents said the administration should regulate the movement of heavy vehicles through the town, particularly during busy hours. Some suggested that trucks transporting fruit should be allowed to enter the town after 6 pm, when commuter traffic begins to ease.
Shopian is one of Kashmir’s major apple-producing districts, and the movement of trucks is critical to transporting the crop from orchards to markets within and outside the Valley. With thousands of growers dependent on timely transportation, residents said any traffic regulation should avoid disrupting the movement of agricultural produce.
Mitha Gatoo, a social activist, said he understood the importance of the fruit trade to the local economy but maintained that the movement of heavy vehicles needed to be better managed.
“The fruit industry is the economic lifeline of the people in the area. Any disruption in the movement of trucks can result in economic losses for growers and traders,” Gatoo said.
At the same time, he said, the uninterrupted movement of fruit trucks should not come at the cost of regular traffic in the town.
“The heavy trucks should not be allowed to enter the town during peak hours,” he said.
Gatoo said long queues of trucks during busy hours were worsening congestion and inconveniencing commuters.
He suggested that authorities could designate specific timings or routes for heavy vehicles carrying fruit so that the movement of agricultural produce continued without bringing traffic in the town to a standstill.
With the apple harvest expected to remain brisk in the coming weeks, residents said an immediate traffic-management plan was needed to prevent congestion from worsening during the peak season.
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