Highway ban leads to adverse effect on supply of essential food items, commodities, says Union Minister in written reply to Hasnain Masoodi

Government of India has said that there has been an adverse effect on the supply of essential commodities to Kashmir after the ban on civilian traffic on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

In a written response to a question by National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi, the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Public distribution Danve Raosaheb Dadarao told Lok Sabha that the order which kept the highway dedicated for movement of armed forces convoys two days every week – Sunday and Wednesday – “adversely affected supply of essential commodities, including supply of Food Corporation of India food grains, to the Valley during these months.”

The state Home Department order banned civilian traffic movement on the highway, between Baramulla and Udhampur, from 4 am to 5 pm on Sundays and Wednesdays, from April 1 till May 31, to enable increased movement of security forces before and during Lok Sabha elections. However, the ban order was revoked in phased- manner.

The Union Minister’s reply further stated that weather situation, and other problems also hamper movement of essential commodities to the Valley.

“Due to snow/rain, landslides, bandhs called by various organizations and imposition of curfew etc, the movement of food grain stocks to Kashmir gets hit.”