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| Traders demand keeping Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road and Poonch- Rawalakot routes open for trade | | | Srinagar, July 6 (KIP):- Traders and fruit growers in Jammu and Kashmir continue to prod the Government for throwing open Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road and Poonch-Rawalakot route for trade.
The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was opened for traffic from April 7, 2005 and the Poonch-Rawalakot route last month. Since fruit dealers and growers have been piqued over the way their product gets sold for a song in Delhi they want facilities for exporting fresh fruit to Pakistan and occupied kashmir in order to ensure better returns.
Mohd.Amin, a fruit dealer, said that the season of fresh fruit in the Kashmir valley has already started and "we have mounted pressure on Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad for persuading Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh to take up the issue of keeping the two routes open for trade."
Official sources saidon Thursday "the Chief Minister has already discussed the matter with Dr Manmohan Singh and the UPA chairperson,Ms Sonia Gandhi."
The sources said that Mr Azad received assurances from men who matter in Delhi that first of all the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road will be thrown open for trade.And in case no problem surfaced the Poonch-Rawalakot route will also be kept open for trade.
Even the All Party Hurriyat Conference leaders have supported keeping the two routes with Pakistan open for trade.According to a senior APHC leader,Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat,"opening the two routes for ytraffic has contributed to confidence building measures and if the two roads were used for trade it will further remove the veil of mistrust among people and politicians between the two sides."
Those connected with trade and commerce in Jammu and Kashmir said that the state had the potential of exporting a variety of goods to Pakistan and occupied Kashmir.They said during the last 16 years traders,fruit dealers and those connected with tourist trade had suffered severe losses with marked drop in the tourist traffic to Kashmir.
They said that the only way traders of all sorts could be benefitted was to throw open the two routes for trade.
Mr Rama Sahai,President Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries said that the state could export fresh and dry fruit,handicrafts,pulses,spices,tubes ,tyres and motor spare parts to Pakistan.He said "we could import dry fruit including resin,pistach and some finest varieties of fresh fruit from Kabul."
He said that once these items reached Jammu via Punjab or Delhi their market prices was beyond the reach of common man.
The traders said that Pakistan should grant permission to a delegation of industrialists and fruit dealers from Jammu and kashmir so that "we could discuss various aspects of trade between the two sides with concerned people inIslamabad and Muzaffarabad."
Official sources said that Chief Minister,Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad had taken up this issue with the centre and hoped that Pakistan would allow "our industrialists to cross the border."
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