Shopian, Jul 25 (KNO): Fruit growers in south Kashmir's Shopian district on Saturday called off their proposed hunger strike after the government assured them of a time-bound probe into the widespread fruit fall and drying of apple orchards, besides promising strict legal action against those found responsible for the alleged sale of substandard pesticides.
According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Director, Law Enforcement, Agriculture Department, J&K, Balbir Singh, visited Shopian and met the affected orchardists, many of whom had announced an indefinite hunger strike from Monday over the delay in the investigation into the mysterious damage to their orchards.
During the interaction, the growers reiterated their demands for adequate compensation for the losses suffered in their orchards and stringent legal action against those responsible for the alleged sale of substandard agricultural inputs.
Singh assured the growers that the government has already constituted a Joint Inquiry Committee comprising the Director of Horticulture, Kashmir, and the Director, Law Enforcement, Agriculture Department, to investigate the matter thoroughly.
He informed the growers that the Horticulture Department has also been directed to assess the extent of damage in the affected orchards and submit a comprehensive report to the government, which would form the basis for further action, including compensation to eligible affected farmers.
As part of the visit, the Director also inspected the pesticide dealer's outlet allegedly involved in the sale of the product suspected to be linked to the orchard damage. Following the inspection, the Enforcement Wing sealed the outlet as part of the ongoing investigation.
Singh said that anyone found violating the law or selling substandard agricultural inputs would face strict legal action.
He assured the orchardists that their genuine grievances would be addressed and that the government was committed to ensuring justice in the matter.
Following these assurances, the affected growers decided to defer their proposed hunger strike for the time being. They expressed hope that the inquiry would be completed without further delay and that the government would ensure compensation for the losses besides taking action against those found responsible.
The issue has been brewing since June this year, when orchardists from Sugoo, Handhama and adjoining villages reported an unusual and large-scale fruit drop and drying up of apple orchards shortly after spraying fungicides and other plant protection chemicals.
On Friday, the affected growers had threatened to launch an indefinite hunger strike, alleging that despite repeated representations, authorities had failed to explain the cause of the damage or disclose the findings of the investigation.
The orchardists had questioned the status of the FIR, sought disclosure of laboratory reports of pesticide samples, and demanded accountability, saying they had invested lakhs of rupees in orchard management and suffered severe financial losses after the destruction of their crops.
The Horticulture Department had earlier suspended the sale of the suspected pesticide as a precautionary measure and collected samples through the Enforcement Wing for laboratory analysis while initiating an investigation into the matter—(KNO)