Even as the government is making all out efforts to ensure restoration of heavy vehiclular traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, continued restriction has affected people of Kashmir on multiple fronts. It has triggered severe disruptions in Kashmir’s supply chain, inflicting massive losses on fruit growers, creating a shortage of fuel and pushing up the prices of essential commodities.
While it initially started with panic on account of rumors on Monday, today majority of petrol pumps were stated to have run dry due to non supply of fuel from outside Kashmir.Leaders of various parties, including the ruling NC, on Tuesday (September 16, 2025) flayed the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway during the peak fruit season, saying it was a "deliberate ploy" to harm Jammu and Kashmir's economy and demanded immediate movement of fruit-laden trucks towards the markets across the country.
Fruit-laden trucks from Kashmir have been stranded for days due to the closure of the crucial highway following heavy rains and flash floods, with growers expressing apprehensions of losses.Authorities on Tuesday kept the highway open only for light motor vehicles from Jammu towards Srinagar, citing major road damage and ongoing restoration work. Heavy trucks carrying apples, vegetables, petroleum products and other bulk supplies remain stranded, unable to move beyond Udhampur.
The blockade has come at the peak of the apple harvesting season, leaving fruit growers alarmed. Thousands of boxes of apples packed for outside markets are lying unsent, raising fears of spoilage and price crashes. Growers say they are suffering daily losses as buyers hesitate to place orders without assured transportation.
The restriction has also led to a critical shortage of petroleum products in the Valley. Several fuel stations in Srinagar and south Kashmir have displayed “no petrol” boards, with long queues forming at pumps that still have limited stocks. Officials acknowledge that supplies of petrol and diesel are running dangerously low because tankers remain off the road.
The scarcity is already hitting household budgets. Prices of vegetables and other eatables have begun to climb steeply in local markets as supplies from outside Jammu are disrupted. Traders say rates of onions, tomatoes and other essentials have doubled in some areas within a week, while milk and poultry are also becoming costlier.
Transporters complain that the prolonged restrictions have left them idle, with hundreds of trucks parked for days. They warn that without urgent restoration of the highway, both growers and consumers will face worsening hardship.
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