Srinagar-Jammu National Highway: The continued disruption of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway has adversely affected the availability of essential supplies in Kashmir, and the fruit growers and traders fear irreparable loss to the industry unless the highway is restored to heavy vehicular traffic immediately.

The traffic department advisory said only light vehicles would be allowed to move on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on Tuesday. Hundreds of apple-laden trucks have been stranded on the highway for many days, as the consignments are likely to rot unless the highway opens without further delay.

These trucks are parked at different places on the highway, unable to move beyond Udhampur due to the sinking of a portion of the highway at Tharad. A major sinking stretch of the road, measuring approximately 50-60 meters near the Tharad Bridge, has caused the highway to close for traffic, with efforts to clear debris and restore the road continuing amidst further damage and unstable terrain.

Fruit growers have already suffered huge losses due to the NH closure, as the apple consignments in the stationary trucks have rotted. Growers are living life on the edge in the Valley, fearing that unless the highway is immediately restored, the horticulture industry would have suffered irreparable losses in Kashmir.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday on X, “Just spoke to Union Minister @MORTHIndia @nitin_gadkari Sb regarding the situation along NH 44 & the lack of connectivity with the rest of the country along this vital link. The frustration of fruit growers is understandable. They have been very patient for the first few days but watching their hard work rot because @nhidcl is unable to stabilise the highway, their patience has worn thin & that is totally understandable. Some concrete steps will be taken within the next 24 hours to address this problem but I will wait for that to happen before I say any more about the proposed plan of action.”

Affected by the disruption of the supply chain, most petrol refilling stations in the Valley operated with thin stocks as many put up boards stating that they had exhausted their stocks on Monday.

Long queues of vehicles at the petrol refilling stations added to the fear of the common citizen. Edibles are also being sold by the traders at self-imposed prices, taking refuge under the highway blockade. Chicken was sold at Rs 190 per kg while eggs cost a buyer Rs 240 per dozen in Srinagar city.

The scarcity is already hitting household budgets. Prices of vegetables and other edibles have begun to climb steeply in local markets. Traders say rates of onions, tomatoes and other essentials have doubled in some areas within a week, while milk and poultry are also becoming costlier. So far, medicines and foodgrains are freely available, and there has been no hoarding of these items in the Valley.

The US Senate has cleared President Donald Trump’s pick Stephen Miran to join the Federal Reserve’s board of governors – part of a panel responsible for setting the country’s interest rates.

Miran, who is chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, will be the first sitting White House official to join the Fed’s board since its creation in its current form in the 1930s.

He was narrowly confirmed on Monday with a vote of 48-47.

The economist’s entry has raised concerns over the central bank’s longstanding independence and follows Trump’s bid to reshape the Federal Reserve.

Miran is expected to take part in a key Fed policy meeting this week as one of 12 voting members, playing a central role in Trump’s bid for a large interest rate cut.

The Fed is expected to approve a quarter-percentage point rate cut to support a weakening labour market.

Miran is a supporter of Trump’s global tariffs, arguing the import duties won’t fuel inflation and that policies like stricter immigration will reduce housing demand and lower prices.

The White House economist’s fast-tracked confirmation vote has proceeded in just a few weeks, when it typically takes months for a Fed governor nominee to be confirmed by the Senate.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, raised concerns that Miran would be seen as a “puppet” who would not be trusted as an independent voice on the Fed board.

Trump has put pressure on the Fed for months, demanding interest rate cuts to give the US economy a boost and make it cheaper for the government to borrow.

The president has taken aim at Fed chair Jerome Powell, calling him a “numbskull” and “too late”.

Miran’s vote also comes as Trump is also attempting to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook from the central bank, citing allegations of mortgage fraud and constitutional powers to remove her.

Cook, the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor, has denied the allegations and sued to block her removal.

She has voted in recent months to keep interest rates on hold this year.

On Monday, a US appeals court denied the justice department’s request to lift an earlier ruling to temporarily block Trump from removing Cook.

The Trump administration is also pursuing mortgage fraud investigations against Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both political antagonists of the president.