Handwara, April 17 -- Residents of Pohrupeth in north Kashmir's Handwara and affected orchard owners have strongly refuted what they describe as "misleading and baseless propaganda" allegedly being spread on social media by a handful of families regarding the ongoing restoration of a public road.

In a statement, locals said the issue revolves around a macadamised public road, including its shoulders, which had been illegally encroached upon, blocking access to hundreds of kanals of apple orchards and agricultural land. The obstruction, they said, has caused significant hardship and economic losses to genuine landholders in the area.

Residents stated that the matter is already under consideration in the Revenue Court, and all concerned p...