Srinagar: Several truckers from south India who had been visiting Kashmir to procure and ferry apples have been stuck here, facing a communication barrier, amid a communications blockade.
The truckers are unable to communicate with local farmers and traders amid shutdown in the valley, as the truck unions in the Valley that would provide translators to them or facilitate transactions with local farmers in southern Kashmir are also shut.
Communications blockade has added to the problem, leaving the truckers with not option but to stay and wait.
Some of the truckers, Kashmir Reader talked to, said that from last few years, they have been coming to registered truck unions in Shopian and Pulwama districts. The unions facilitated a language translator and arranged crop loads for fruit mandis of south India against a nominal registration fee.
“The facilities are missing this season as the area is observing shutdown,” R Ramaswami, a trawler driver from Kerala, said.
Ramaswami said they have parked their trawlers on Ring Road near Pulwama’s Gangoo village for a week, and don’t know whom to approach for produce.
“We tried to reach out to some farmers, who were plucking apples in their orchards on both the sides of road, but we could not communicate with them, as they were speaking in Hindi/ Urdu,” he said, adding, there was nobody to communicate with them either in Telgu, Tamil or Malyalam.
However, a few drivers can speak and understand a little bit of English.
Another group of south Indian truckers have reach the Industrial estate at Lassipora.
“We are here from last three days waiting to get the load, but nobody is contacting us, neither we are able to contact the unions as their mobile phones are not working,” said K Maheshwar, a driver from Tamil Nadu.
Another trucker from Tamil Nadu added that they moved to Lassipora, after some people told them that they may get apples from cold stores.
“But after reaching here we found these cold stores empty,” he said.
The truckers would also get consignments from south Indian businessmen but this harvest season, due to lockdown, none of the businessman has arrived here.
The drivers are stationed near J&K Bank, Lassipora, and whenever someone enquires anything form them, they rush towards the bank to find someone who could speak English and help them communicate with local apple traders or farmers.

Mir Iqbal