Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction has put a heavy cost to the agriculturists of Himachal Pradesh.
Due to arson on the Himalayan Expressway, Parwanoo-Zirakpur, which is a major connecting road for Himachal Pradesh to Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and other states, the daily supplies of vegetable and fruits were suspended by the transporters.
Many trucks and vans loaded with fruits and vegetables got stranded on the Highway due to arson in Panchkula on Friday after the CBI court convicted Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
Naresh Kumar, a supplier in Kandaghat said tomato supply to Chandigarh and other stations in Punjab and Haryana had been hampered badly due to blockades on Kalka-Zirakpur road. He said Tomato crop had been fetching a good price in Chandigarh and other markets, while in Himachal’s local market the price of tomato was still getting around 20 to 30 percent less price. He said apple harvesting has also picked up in the hill state and in the past 24 hours, the supply of apple to other states had witnessed a sudden dip as the traffic is yet to get normal in Haryana.
Sunil Kumar, a local grocery vendor in Shimla said there were no supplies of bakery and dairy products from Chandigarh and other stations to Himachal Pradesh. Though the Shimla Administration had made efforts to deal with the situation by providing additional supplies on Thursday and Friday, yet the markets may face shortage if the situation does not improve soon.
Sending a warning against hoarding to the traders, Rohan Chand Thakur, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla has said that the sale of any product on inflated rates would be dealt with strictly.