Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today laid the foundation stone of a modern Fruit & Vegetable Mandi at Wussan Bangil, Karhama, Tangmarg, marking the beginning of a long-pending demand of the area and a significant step towards strengthening the horticulture marketing infrastructure in the Tangmarg-Gulmarg belt.
The proposed mandi will be developed on 50 kanals of land, with direct access to the Tangmarg-Gulmarg Road. Envisaged as a modern and organised marketing facility, the mandi will cater to the major horticulture belt of Tangmarg and adjoining areas and is expected to benefit around nine lakh people across 19 blocks in Baramulla and Budgam districts.
The facility will provide growers with an organised platform for the handling, grading, sorting, packaging and marketing of fruit and vegetable produce, besides strengthening market linkages and logistics in the region. It is expected to bring buyers closer to producers, improve price realisation for farmers and reduce post-harvest losses through better handling, storage and supply-chain facilities.
Addressing a large public gathering after laying the foundation stone, the Chief Minister said the project represented the fulfilment of a major and long-standing demand of the people of the area and underlined the need to look beyond tourism while assessing the economic potential of Kashmir.
“Often, when we speak to people outside J&K, they feel that there is nothing but tourism in Kashmir and that our entire economy revolves around tourism. But when I explain to them that agriculture, horticulture, fruits, dairy and other sectors contribute much more, they are surprised,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the establishment of the mandi was particularly important for Tangmarg because the area is a major horticulture-producing belt. “Your fruits and vegetables were being grown here, but to take them to the market you had to travel to far-off markets. You did not always get buyers. Now, through this market, the buyers will come here and, through the buyers, you will get a better rate,” he said.
He said the modern infrastructure would also help ensure better quality of produce and facilitate its access to wider markets. The project, he added, would create a new source of income for the area and give a major boost to the rural economy.
Emphasising that the success of the mandi would also depend on connectivity, Omar Abdullah directed that the road leading to the facility be improved and widened. “Along with this fruit market and vegetable market, we will have to fix this road as well. Even if it is a 1.5 to 2 km stretch, we will have to widen it and improve its condition so that people do not face any difficulty,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government had initiated development works across sectors in the constituency, including drinking water, healthcare, education, roads and horticulture infrastructure. He said the focus was on taking development works to the ground and addressing the demands of people through concrete projects.
Responding to criticism from the opposition, the Chief Minister said political parties were free to oppose government initiatives, but people would ultimately judge governments by the work delivered on the ground. He questioned why earlier governments, despite having land and opportunities, had not established a fruit and vegetable mandi in the area when they were in power.
“You had the government, you had the opportunity and this land was already here. No land had to be acquired for this fruit and vegetable mandi. It was lying unused. Today, if the MLA sits with the concerned Minister and prepares a project for a fruit market in his area, is that his fault, or is the question why those who represented the area earlier did not do it?” he asked.
The Chief Minister also addressed concerns regarding the recent revision in electricity tariffs.
“The opposition is targeting us over the increase in electricity tariffs. We have increased the electricity tariff, and I accept that. But we had to take this decision out of compulsion and the circumstances we were facing.”
He said the increase should also be viewed in the context of the prevailing economic situation and compared with the tariff revisions effected during the tenure of previous governments. “In the four years since the previous increase, inflation in the country has gone up by around 19 to 20 percent. When they were in power, the electricity tariff was increased by around 15 percent four years ago. In comparison, we have placed only a small part of that burden on the people,” he said.
Taking a dig at the opposition, Omar Abdullah said those criticising the present government had themselves presided over substantial tariff increases when they were in power. “When they were Chief Ministers, the electricity tariff had gone up by around 13.5 to 14 percent. Why were you silent then if you felt that injustice had been done to people? Today, those whose decisions have contributed to the problems we are facing are making noise,” he said.
The Chief Minister, however, assured the people that the government would make every effort to avoid any further increase during its present term. “I assure you that I will try my best not to increase the electricity tariff during this government,” he said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reiterated the government’s commitment to fulfilling the promises made to the people and said the next three and a half years would witness accelerated development across Jammu and Kashmir.
“God willing, in the next three and a half years, we will fulfil all the promises we have made to the people and present ourselves before you. I say with confidence that after three and a half years, if you look at all the Assembly constituencies, among the most developed, if not the most developed, will be the Gulmarg-Tangmarg constituency, because here not only has work started, it is progressing rapidly,” he said.
The Chief Minister also announced that the Mini Secretariat at Tangmarg, whose work had been initiated during his earlier government but could not be completed, would be completed and handed over to the people during the current year.
He congratulated the people of Tangmarg, particularly the residents of Wussan, on the foundation stone laying of the Fruit and Vegetable Mandi and said the project would create a stronger and more organised horticulture marketing ecosystem in the area.
Earlier, the Chief Minister visited the Kisan Mela showcasing key government initiatives and innovations in agriculture and horticulture.
Minister for Agriculture Javid Ahmed Dar and Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani spoke on the occasion and highlighted the achievements and initiatives undertaken by the government in agriculture and allied sectors.
MLA Gulmarg-Tangmarg Pirzada Farooq Ahmed Shah said that since assuming office, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had left no stone unturned in accelerating development across Jammu and Kashmir, with particular focus on the Gulmarg-Tangmarg constituency. He said the pace of development under the present government was evident on the ground and alleged that the opposition was unable to accept the reality of ongoing development process.
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Gurwinder Singh Oberoi, MLA Beerwah Dr Shafi Ahmed Wani, MLA Baramulla Javed Hassan Beigh, MLA Pattan Javed Reyaz Bedar, MLA Uri Dr Sajjad Shafi and MLA Kreeri-Wagoora Irfan Hafiz Lone were present on the occasion.
Director, Horticulture, Planning and Marketing, J&K, Ghulam Jeelani Zargar, Director Agriculture Kashmir Sartaj Ahmed Shah, Director Horticulture Kashmir Vikas Anand, besides senior officers of the Agriculture and allied departments, were also present.