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| Cross LoC trade declines by 30% in Poonch | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 21: The traders involved in cross Line of Control (LoC) trade with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), which has been suspended temporarily, at Poonch in Jammu region, say that the trade through this area was on decline due to indifferent attitude of Governments on both the sides.
Pawan Anand, President of Cross LoC Traders' Association told over telephone from Poonch that number of tradeable items were coming down and "it (trade) was slipped to 30 percent of the business taking place in the beginning."
The items being traded are depending on the demand and are timely items guided by season or the requirement.
According to Pawan Anand, "the cross LoC trade used to be of Rs seven to eight crores weekly which was now dropped to about one crore or even less a week." He added that against permitted 25 cargo vehicles crossing either side the number now was reduced to three to four vehicles daily.
He said that the reason for this fall in trade was that the Government was not clearing the enhanced list of 50 items permitted to be traded. Presently there are just 21 tradeable items in the list. Traders have alleged that out of the list permitted tradeable items, "they (officials) put unnecessary ban on items being traded like coconut, garlic, dry fruits etc. due to unexplained reasons."
The items from this part of Kashmir include fruit (fresh and dry), spices, saffron, carpets, wall hangings, woollens, aromatic and medicinal plants, Cricket bats, black mushrooms, green tea, Rajma (Red kidney beans) besides other items like handicrafts, handlooms and other items manufactured in State's industrial units.
Anand said, "Lack of banking and communication facilities were two major obstacles in the way of this cross-LoC trade." This trade is going on barter system and telephone lines from India to Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir are blocked for security reasons.
The State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said in the Legislative Assembly that the Union Government should open the banking system for the trade instead of present barter system and facilitate communication channels to boost the trade. But nothing has happened in this direction despite the assurance by Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh during his visit to the trade centres on May last year.
"The Cross-LoC trade on Uri-Muzaffarabad in Kashmir valley and Poonch-Rawlakote in Poonch district of Jammu region is declining due to apathy of both Indian and Pakistani Governments," remarked Anand.
The cross-LoC trade began amidst heightened enthusiasm trade between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir in December 2008 after the two Confidence Building Measures CBMs) of ceasefire between Indian and Pakistani armies on frontiers between the two countries in November 2003 followed by opening of two routes for divided families living on either side of divided state in 2005. |
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