Srinagar, Sept. 16 -- CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday said that the prolonged closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has caused severe difficulties for apple growers and traders in Kashmir and demanded immediate measures to address the situation.

Speaking to reporters, Tarigami said the highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, has remained closed for nearly three weeks following damage to a 300-metre patch in Udhampur. He questioned why the restoration work was still incomplete. "It has been said repeatedly that work is going on, but three weeks have passed," he said.

According to him, the closure has left traders and growers without options to transport their produce dur...