Tangmarg, Aug 25: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of a modern Fruit and Vegetable Mandi at Wussan Bangil, Karhama, Tangmarg, marking the beginning of a long-pending project aimed at strengthening horticulture marketing infrastructure in the Tangmarg-Gulmarg belt.

The proposed mandi will come up on 50 kanals of land with direct access to the Tangmarg-Gulmarg Road. It is expected to benefit nearly nine lakh people across 19 blocks of Baramulla and Budgam districts by providing growers with an organised platform for handling, grading, sorting, packaging and marketing their produce.
The facility is also expected to improve market linkages, bring buyers closer to growers, enhance price realisation and reduce post-harvest losses through better logistics and supply-chain management.
Addressing a public gathering, Omar Abdullah said the project fulfilled a long-standing demand of the people and would give a major boost to the rural economy.
He stressed that Kashmir’s economy extends well beyond tourism, with agriculture, horticulture, dairy and allied sectors playing a major role in generating livelihoods.
“Your fruits and vegetables were being grown here, but to take them to the market you had to travel to far-off markets. You did not always get buyers. Now, through this market, the buyers will come here and, through the buyers, you will get a better rate,” the Chief Minister said.
Omar said Tangmarg was an important horticulture-producing belt and modern marketing infrastructure would enable local growers to access wider markets while improving the quality and value of their produce.
Emphasising that the success of the mandi would depend on smooth connectivity, the Chief Minister directed the concerned departments to improve and widen the road leading to the facility.
He said even the 1.5 to 2-kilometre stretch would have to be upgraded to ensure that growers, buyers and transporters do not face difficulties in accessing the mandi.
The Chief Minister said the government was simultaneously pursuing development works in drinking water, healthcare, education, roads and horticulture infrastructure across the constituency.
He said the government’s focus was on translating development commitments into tangible projects on the ground.
Omar Abdullah also defended the recently approved electricity tariff revision, saying the decision was taken due to the difficult financial circumstances confronting the power sector.
“We have increased the electricity tariff, and I accept that. But we had to take this decision out of compulsion and the circumstances we were facing,” he said.
Comparing the latest revision with earlier tariff increases, Omar said inflation had risen substantially in recent years and argued that the present increase represented only a limited burden on consumers.
He also criticised opposition parties for targeting the government over the hike, pointing to tariff increases effected during previous governments.
At the same time, the Chief Minister assured people that he would make every effort to avoid any further electricity tariff increase during the tenure of the present government.
Omar reiterated his government’s commitment to completing its development agenda over the next three and a half years, saying the Gulmarg-Tangmarg constituency would witness accelerated development.
He also announced that the Tangmarg Mini Secretariat, whose construction had been initiated during his earlier tenure but remained incomplete, would be completed and handed over to the people during the current year.
Congratulating the people of Tangmarg, particularly residents of Wussan, on the mandi project, he said the facility would establish a stronger and more organised horticulture marketing ecosystem in the area.
Earlier, the Chief Minister visited a Kisan Mela showcasing government initiatives and innovations in agriculture and horticulture.
Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmed Dar and Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani highlighted various government initiatives and achievements in agriculture and allied sectors.
MLA Gulmarg-Tangmarg Pirzada Farooq Ahmed Shah said development activities had accelerated across the constituency under the present government.
Several legislators and senior officers from the Agriculture and allied departments were also present during the foundation-laying ceremony.
The proposed mandi is expected to emerge as an important market hub for the horticulture belt, helping local growers reduce dependence on distant markets, improve returns and strengthen the overall rural economy of north Kashmir.