KASHMIR OBSERVER

SRINAGAR | TUESDAY | 20.05.2025

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The meeting was also told about the Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) reorganisation which focuses on strengthening technical manpower and introducing reforms to improve scientific waste management, drainage, and sanitation systems.

The meeting also reviewed the newly framed recruitment rules of the Jammu Municipal Corporation, formulated in light of the reorganisation.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the implementation of these proposals would significantly enhance the operational capabilities of the Housing and Urban Development Department, generate substantial financial savings, and streamline urban governance across Jammu and Kashmir.

He affirmed that the reforms are aligned with the broader vision of sustainable urban development, transparency and administrative efficiency.

Apple Cart Turns:

and Azerbaijan. The Himachal Pradesh government, facing pressure from its own orchardists, plans to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a formal ban.

J&K politicians, including Vivek Bali, state president of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, have seized on the sentiment. “This is an opportunity to protect our local industry,” he said. “The apple growers of Kashmir have waited too long for a fair market.”

In major mandis from Delhi to Mumbai, retailers have already started pulling Turkish apples from shelves. Importers report a sharp drop in demand. Meanwhile, orders for Kashmiri apples have picked up, even in the off-season.

“Trade is rarely just about numbers,” says Rohan Ursal, a fruit trader in Pune. “It’s also about emotion. And right now, the country wants to support its own.”

Kashmir, which contributes nearly three-fourths of India's total apple production, has long seen its growers squeezed by foreign competition.