Shimla, Aug 1 (IANS): The Himachal Pradesh government Friday exempted all goods carriages coming from neighbouring states from obtaining a permit for transporting apples and potatoes ouside the state, an official said.
The exemption under section 66 (1) of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 will remain effective till Oct 31, a government spokesperson added.
He said the exemptions would be available in respect of goods carriages coming from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh for transportation of apple and potatoes only.
The hill state is one of India's major apple-producing regions, with more than 90 percent of the produce going to the domestic market.
State horticulture department estimates say the state is expected to produce 25-30 percent less apples this season compared to last year's bumper production of over 32.2 million boxes.