Pulwama, Aug 27 (KNO): Fruit growers and residents of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have once again raised their demand for a permanent and fully equipped fruit mandi at Nowdal, alleging that the project has remained pending for nearly seven years despite land being identified for the facility.
Residents while talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “Tral comprises of nearly 100 villages. It is one of the important horticulture belts in the district. Significant section of the population is dependent on apple and other fruit cultivation for their livelihood. However, the absence of a properly developed fruit market continues to create difficulties for growers, particularly during the harvesting and marketing season.”
They said a temporary fruit mandi is currently functioning at Nowdal, but the facility is inadequate to cater to the requirements of the vast horticultural area.
Residents said the temporary arrangements lack several basic facilities, including proper sheds, fencing, road macadamisation and other infrastructure needed for the smooth handling and transportation of fruit consignments.
Jahangeer Ahmad, a fruit grower said the absence of a permanent mandi forces growers to transport their produce to markets in other districts. “Sending fruit consignments to distant mandis adds to transportation costs and consumes valuable time. A permanent mandi at Nowdal would save growers both money and effort and provide them a nearby platform to sell their produce,” he said.
Another grower, Sayar Hameed, said residents have been waiting for years for the proposed project to materialise.
“We have been hearing assurances about the fruit mandi for nearly seven years. Land measuring around 20 kanals was identified for the project, and trees were also removed in 2020, but construction work has still not started till date,” he said.
Residents questioned why a project for which land had already been identified has remained pending for such a long period.
They said the present temporary mandi becomes particularly difficult to manage during peak harvesting days when a large number of growers and traders arrive with fruit consignments.
“Growers need proper space for unloading, grading, loading and marketing their produce. The present arrangements do not provide the facilities required for a major horticulture-producing area like Tral,” locals said.
They said poor road conditions around the temporary market compound the problems, particularly when heavy fruit-laden vehicles move through the area during the harvesting season.
According to residents, establishing a permanent fruit mandi at Nowdal would have wider economic benefits for the area. Besides reducing transportation expenses, they said, it could create better opportunities for local traders, labourers, transporters and other people associated with the horticulture sector.
Growers also maintained that a modern market equipped with essential facilities could help them obtain better returns by providing a more organised platform for the sale and handling of their produce.
Despite repeatedly raising the matter with the concerned authorities, residents said, there has been little visible progress on the ground.
They have urged the administration and concerned horticulture authorities to take up the construction work at the earliest and complete the long-pending project in a time-bound manner.
Residents have also appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Horticulture Minister to intervene and ensure that the proposed fruit mandi is developed without any further delay, saying the seven-year wait has already caused considerable inconvenience to them—(KNO)