Protests Against Horticulture Dept in Pulwama
PULWAMA; 24 Aug 2013: Scores of farmers staged a protest against the Horticulture department in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Saturday. They alleged the department was turning a blind eye to the “mysterious disease” that has gripped their orchards after incessant rains in the valley.
They said they fear they would incur huge losses. “The colour of the fruit and leaves has turned pale and we have many apprehensions,” the protesters said, according to a local news agency, CNS.
They said they informed the Horticulture Officer in the district, “but he did nothing”. “They sent a team comprised of two persons who casually inspected the condition of apple trees but did not submit any report,” they said.
However, sources say, the case seems to be more about lack of communication or awareness between the authorities and the general public.
The Horticulture department has been issuing advertisements in local newspapers, warning orchardists to spray trees with specified chemicals. They even named the diseases which, they said, had gripped the trees after the heavy rains.
They said they fear they would incur huge losses. “The colour of the fruit and leaves has turned pale and we have many apprehensions,” the protesters said, according to a local news agency, CNS.
They said they informed the Horticulture Officer in the district, “but he did nothing”. “They sent a team comprised of two persons who casually inspected the condition of apple trees but did not submit any report,” they said.
However, sources say, the case seems to be more about lack of communication or awareness between the authorities and the general public.
The Horticulture department has been issuing advertisements in local newspapers, warning orchardists to spray trees with specified chemicals. They even named the diseases which, they said, had gripped the trees after the heavy rains.
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