Srinagar: The prolonged closure of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway, along with alleged mismanagement on the Mughal Road, has crippled the mutton industry in Kashmir, creating an acute shortage and forcing the postponement of weddings across the Valley.
The Mutton Dealers Association said more than 150 weddings have already been deferred due to the crisis. General Secretary Mehrajuddin Ganai warned that if livestock supplies do not reach the Valley within a day, there will be no mutton available from Tuesday.
He said around 400 sheep have died in stranded trucks over the past three days due to long halts, lack of food and water, and suffocation.
While the government claims essentials are being routed through Mughal Road, dealers accused traffic police of creating bottlenecks. They alleged that trucks are stopped for days at Lakhanpur, Nowshera, Surankote, and Poonch, causing huge losses.
The Association appealed to the administration to ensure smooth passage of livestock trucks into Kashmir to prevent further deaths and stabilize supply.(KNT)
