Much of the winding Shimla-Kalka highway is fast being dotted with vegetable and fruit sellers making it a popular shopping highway for travellers on this busy national highway.
The sellers can be seen mostly sitting between Shimla and Jabli a 70 km stretch. Most of the goods are displayed in the open, and sometimes under a tarpaulin if its raining.
Travellers say it is very convenient for them to park by the road side and buy fruits and vegetables at leisure.
Most said the goods are cheaper and fresher than those sold in markets in Shimla, Solan and their suburbs.
People who set up these make shift open shops are local farmers. But when they run out of their produce they procure vegetables and fruits from outside the state and run their shops round the year.
“If our produce is sold to commission agents we make far less money. By bypassing them we are able to make 25 to 33 per cent more money,” said one seller.
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The 78 km Kalka-Shimla national highway is one of the busiest mountain roads in the country. Majority of the travellers on this route are tourists from outside the state.
Many of them are able to carry back to the plains local fresh fruits and off season vegetables grown in the hills.