A meeting was held in Shimla on Monday to review the maintenance of roads and other public works ahead of apple season in Himachal Pradesh and was chaired by Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh.
The Public Works Minister stated that horticulture plays a big role in the state; the apple economy itself is worth about Rs 5,000 and almost 2.5 lakh families are dependent on it for their livelihoods. “It becomes important that the crops of apple, pear, and plum should be taken to the mandis and from there to the market on time. For this, the state government and the Public Works Department are determined to complete all the preparations in time.” Several methods of preparation at the administrative level for the apple season, as well as the upkeep of roads, were discussed in the meeting. Vikramaditya Singh said that an additional amount of nearly Rs 3.5 crore would be spent on the speedy repair and maintenance of 14 roads in five circles in the Shimla zone to ensure that agents, loaders, farmers, and gardeners do not face issues in transporting their crops during apple season.