Shimla, Sept. 25 -- Himachal Pradesh revenue, horticulture and tribal development minister Jagat Singh Negi on Wednesday said that the state government's move of prioritising restoration of road connectivity is one of the reasons of increased arrivals of apples in the markets despite extensive damage to infrastructure owing to the recent monsoons. Negi shared that more than 1.90 crore apple boxes have reached markets marking significant increase compared to 1.23 crore boxes last year. "Prioritising the connectivity restoration and meticulous planning is what helped achieving coupled with increased yield this year," said Negi. "We ensured that apple growers could take their produce to markets. Where big vehicles could not reach, smaller vehicles were deployed. So far, more than 1.90 crore apple boxes have reached markets" he added. "The damaged roads were either restored or temporarily reconnected in record time to ensure smooth transportation of apples. Even during peak damage, government machinery worked round the clock to facilitate apple growers," he said Negi while adding that apple growers' patience in delaying the harvest helped to ensure that the hard work of the growers does not go waste. He added, "Under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), the state has procured about 60,000 metric tonnes of culled apples from growers. Out of this, 35,000 metric tonnes have been sent to our processing centres, while another 32,000 metric tonnes are yet to be transported. This helps prevent low-quality apples from flooding the market and keeps the prices of good-quality apples stable. Farmers are currently getting good rates." he explained. Negi, however, admitted that transport bottlenecks had led to piling up of culled stock, though he maintained this was still beneficial for growers. "If poor-quality apples had entered the open market, it would have affected demand and rates for quality fruit. By procurement, farmers are shielded from such losses," he said. Negi said, "This year the rains were unusually early, prolonged and extremely intense. Not only Himachal Pradesh but also the neighbouring states suffered heavy destruction. In Himachal alone, the loss so far is estimated at more than Rs.5,000 crore. This includes damages to both government and private property roads, drinking water schemes, irrigation projects, power lines and people's orchards. The state has suffered enormously." Negi added that the situation has improved somewhat but many areas continue to face disruption. "Even today, 320 roads remain blocked, including two national highways. Around 46 power lines are affected and 69 drinking water schemes are still disrupted. In my constituency itself, cloudbursts have caused massive destruction," he said. Former chief minister and leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur who on Wednesday visited various areas of disaster-hit Lahaul Spiti and accused government of not doing enough. "Lahaul had a bumper crop of cabbage and peas. However, due to the road closures caused by the disaster, they could not reach the market and are now rotting in the fields. The entire region is facing the threat of an epidemic, which needs to be addressed. The disaster and road closures are causing double damage to the people. The government must find a solution, but the path it has taken clearly shows that it is unaware of the extent of the damage," said Thakur. Responding to Jai Ram, Negi said, "I don't know which world Jai Ram Thakur is living in. The roads he is talking about are Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) projects - like the Chandigarh-Manali-Leh highway and four-lane stretches under NHAI. Why does he not ask his central government why these highways are not being restored at war footing?" "We have, in fact, reopened several BRO roads by handing them over to the PWD for quick restoration. If he is visiting the tribal belt after one-and-a-half months and choosing only the safest areas just for photo-ops and criticism, that is injustice to the people," Negi remarked....