Srinagar, Oct 10 (IANS): Over 10,000 trucks, including 8,800 carrying fruit moved towards Jammu on the Srinagar-Jammu highway during the last 24 hours, officials said on Monday.

The traffic department officials said that of the trucks that moved towards Jammu from the Valley during the last 24 hours, 8800 were carrying fruit to the markets outside of the union territory.

Fruit growers and merchants in the Valley have been agitating for more than a fortnight alleging that their produce has been rotting in parked trucks as these were not being allowed to move towards Jammu.

J&K chief secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta took a meeting of the officials on Sunday and gave orders that all the fruit-laden trucks stuck at different places on the highway should be allowed to move on the highway without any further delay.

Earlier, the trucks remained halted at several places due to inclement weather. Heavy traffic remained stranded on the national highway during the last fortnight because of landslides and shooting stones triggered by rain.