Kashmir mutton dealers allege harassment, extortion on Punjab highways

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 20: Mutton dealers in Kashmir today alleged that they continue to face harassment and extortion on Punjab highways while transporting livestock, alleging that their trucks are being stopped unnecessarily and forced to pay large sums despite repeated Government assurances.

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Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Mehraj-ud-Din Ganie, president of the Wholesale Mutton Dealers Union Kashmir, said traders are witnessing “growing hooliganism” by private contractors along multiple stretches of the highway. He said their livestock trucks are being forcibly halted and pressured into paying hefty amounts “under the pretext of cattle fare charges.”
Ganie said the dealers do not purchase livestock in Punjab and only use the state as a transit route. “The interference occurs despite the fact that they do not make livestock purchases in Punjab and only use the route for transportation,” he said, adding that contractors stop vehicles at several points, create obstructions, and pressure drivers until they agree to pay.
The traders said the sums demanded vary but remain high enough to inflate operational costs and lead to delays in livestock reaching Kashmir markets. They added that the situation has escalated recently, creating uncertainty for truck drivers who travel long distances with livestock. They alleged the obstruction has now become an organised pattern, with drivers “routinely confronted” at certain points.
Ganie said they have “no information” on whether the issue has been formally raised with the Punjab Government, even though the Punjab Chief Minister is currently in the Valley and has met the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister.
The dealers appealed to authorities in both Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab to intervene, saying safe and unobstructed transit must be ensured to prevent disruption of meat supplies and additional financial burden on traders already struggling with rising transport and procurement costs.
They also urged police and regulatory bodies to investigate checkpoints where contractors are allegedly extorting money, stressing that accountability is necessary to stop further harassment.

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