Over 6,400 tonnes apples transported from Kashmir to Delhi in 2 weeks

JAMMU: Over 6,400 tonnes of apples have been transported from Kashmir to Delhi via parcel trains within two weeks, Jammu Division of Northern Railways said on Saturday.

Kashmir produces around 2-2.6 million metric tonnes of apples annually, accounting for about 70-80 per cent of the country’s total apple production.

The Jammu Division of Northern Railway is operating parcel trains carrying apples from Kashmir to Delhi after starting the service on September 11 with two parcel van coaches — one destined for Jammu and the other for Adarsh Nagar, Delhi.

“Each parcel van coachwas loaded with approximately 23 tons of goods. This was considered a historic achievement, as a parcel van coach first reached Adarsh Nagar, Delhi, from Budgam Railway Station (in Kashmir) in less than 21 hours, and another in Jammu in less than six hours,” Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu Division, Uchit Singhal said in a statement here.

On September 15, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off an eight-parcel van coach train, each with a weight capacity of 23 tonnes, from Srinagar to Adarsh Nagar, Delhi.

The start of the service coincided with the closure of 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, owing to massive damage caused by heavy rainfall between August 26 and September 6.