Sopore, Dec 4: While government claims of boosting and working tirelessly for the horticulture sector of the state, the Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (JKHPMC) in Sopore depicts how official negligence has devastated the once World Bank funded project.
The JKHMPC plant at Doabgah area of apple town is in shamble and employees accuse that the ‘bad condition they are in is due to lackadaisical and lethargic attitude of the government’.
According to officials at the plant the corporation was established in 1985 and World Bank with a capital of Rs 35 crore was invested.
“The objective was to market JK’s horticulture produce and this investment is going to drains and no one cares,” employees at the plant told INS.
The employees claimed that once the plant had more than 100 employees ‘but only a few are left now’.
“Some employees have not received their salary from past 3 years,” Mohammad Sultan, an employee at the plant confided.
Appealing Government to focus on the plant and take steps on the ‘demands of the employees’.
“There are buyers from different states of India and discussions regarding sales are happening,” Managing Director, Apple Juice Concentrate Plant, Javeed Ahmed claimed, while accepting that the factory has suffered losses which not only affected factory but forced many employees to retire voluntarily.
