Dehradun/Shimla, July 24:
Over 80 apple-laden trucks from Himachal Pradesh headed to Saharanpur market have been stuck for over 12 hours at the Askad police barrier in Saharanpur — and tempers are boiling.
The reason? UP Police claims to be acting on “orders from above” due to some festival-related curbs, but no written order has been shown so far.
The scene at the border is grim. Farmers are furious, truckers helpless, and the apples rotting in the July heat — a disaster for the apple belt of Shimla.
“These are perishable goods. You hold them for 12 hours in a hot truck, they start to rot. After protest they were allowed, but the police are resorting to such extortion tactics every now and then, the drivers charged.
Who’s responsible? The police say they’ve orders, but can’t show them. This is nothing short of gundagardi in uniform,” said one agitated farmer from Chopal, whose truck remained stranded since last night.
Truck operators say police are stopping them without any formal notification or alternate route advisory.
“If there was some festival or traffic regulation, they should have told our state government or DC.
We could’ve rerouted. But they’ve kept mum — and now our fruit is rotting. Is this law or lawlessness?” said a driver who had been stranded since early morning.
No clarity, no communication, no accountability — that’s what’s stinging the apple growers, who accuse UP Police of targeted harassment.
“Our trucks go to Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand without issue. But now UP is blocking Himachali apples on flimsy excuses. Is this how you treat fellow citizens?” said an apple trader.
The silence of the UP police on legal grounds has only worsened matters.
On being asked to produce official orders, they allegedly waved off queries saying, “We have directions from higher-ups,” but refused to share any written orders.
Farmers’ unions have demanded immediate action against what they called “discriminatory and arbitrary blockade.
” They have urged UP CM Yogi and DGP UP to intervene, take disciplinary action against the erring police personnel, and issue clear instructions to ensure smooth transit of perishable produce.
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