Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: August 13, 2008
The 300-km long national highway linking Jammu
with Srinagar and the lifeline for people living in the Kashmir Valley has
been cleared of all disruptions by the Army from August 4 onwards to help
movement of goods to and fro from the Valley in the backdrop of the ongoing
Amarnath shrine land agitation.
The all-party delegation, which visited Srinagar
over the weekend, was also informed by the State Government that there was
no economic blockade on the national highway and trucks were moving without
hindrance
Elaborating on the efforts undertaken by the
Army, an official spokesman on Tuesday said the Army escorted a total of 10,389
vehicles on the National Highway-1A, the only surface link between the Kashmir
valley and the rest of the country, over the past eight days since troops
were deployed on the highway on August 4.
He said the Army was deployed on Jammu-Pathankot
and Jammu-Srinagar highways to ensure smooth movement of trucks, including
petrol tankers, carrying essential supplies to the Kashmir valley and other
parts of the State and fruits, especially apples, from Srinagar to other States.
Giving a break-up of the number of vehicles
escorted, he said 2,263 loaded trucks, 487 empty trucks, 764 buses, 97 oil
tankers, 58 Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder-carrying trucks and 1,212
light vehicles from Jammu to Srinagar were safely escorted.
The traffic from Srinagar to other parts of
the country included 1,743 loaded trucks, 460 empty trucks, 961 buses, 164
oil tankers, 22 LPG and 2,165 light vehicles, he said, adding the sincere
and constant work of the Army under a tense situation ensured movement of
regular supplies on the national highway.
Meanwhile, the State Government briefed the
all-party delegation, which visited the Valley recently, that there was no
economic blockade and there were sufficient number of trucks available in
the Valley to transport fruits to other parts of the country.
"It came to our notice that there were 30 truck loads of fruits available
in the Kashmir market for transportation. The administration made available
90 trucks to the local vendors. But they did not use it under fears from separatists,"
a member of the delegation told The Pioneer.
People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba
Mufti and some Hurriyat leaders had reportedly asked local traders to march
towards Muzaffarabad (in PoK) with their produce (fruits).
The initial disruption in the traffic, sources
pointed out, was mainly because truck drivers from Punjab, a few of whom were
beaten up when they entered the valley, refused to operate.
It is reported that Punjab Chief Minister
Prakash Singh Badal immediately spoke to them and the situation turned normal.