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| Cross-LoC trade likely by Oct | | Now Poonch-Rawalakote bus to run twice a week | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Sep 2
With an apparent policy of carrot and stick in place, the Government is making hectic efforts to through the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road for cross-LoC trade even as it remains on the backfoot in handling the security situation in Kashmir Valley.
The latest round of tension in the Kashmir Valley had erupted when thousands of people marched to the Line of Control claiming to sell their orchard and farm produce in the Muzaffarabad capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Since then Kashmir has been on boil and a strict curfew has been imposed to curb the situation. Amidst this uncertain situation, the government had intensified its efforts for throwing the cross-LoC road link open for trade. This is being seen as a massive appeasement to soothe the sentiments in the Valley so as to find some space for a dialogue.
While Home Minister Shivraj Patil today reassured that the Center was too keen to open the road for trade, back home the Governor NN Vohra reviewed a high level meeting in Srinagar to review arrangements for trade link.
Responding to the demand widely made in the Kashmir valley that the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road be opened for trade, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Tuesday voiced India's keenness to do so and affirmed that the "road will be opened".
"We would like to expedite" the re-opening of the trade route, Patil told a news agency, adding that New Delhi was willing to conclude any formalities and discussions with Pakistan in this regard.
An official spokesman of the state government said that with a view to commencing Cross-LoC Trade between Jammu and Kashmir and Pak-occupied-Kashmir through the Muzaffarabad Road in Kashmir, the infrastructural facilities at Salamabad, near Uri, on this side of the Line of Control, are nearing completion. This was stated at a high level meeting, chaired by Governor, N N Vohra, held in Srinagar this afternoon to review the status of various facilities being put in place for facilitating the trans-LoC trade.
While 95 per cent of the required work for raising pre-fabricated structures providing warehousing, immigration and customs facilities, scanning units and weighing bridges have been completed, the sprucing up of the 12-kilometer border stretch from Salamabad to the Kaman Post is proceeding apace. The first six kilometers of the upgraded double-lanned road have been block topped. The Governor directed that the remaining stretch should be got completed by 7th of October 2008 by working on overtime basis.
The Governor observed that while the bare minimum infrastructure raised at Salamabad would be used for starting the process of trade through Muzaffarabad, work on the required additional facilities shall be simultaneously taken up. For this purpose, he directed each of the concerned officers to set in motion the land acquiring process immediately and reiterated that the required infrastructure and facilities must be completed on a time bound basis.
Vohra also stressed the need for creating adequate infrastructure facilities at Chaka-da-Bagh in Poonch for commencing trade through the Poonch-Rawalakote Road. He called for close coordination between various Ministeries and the Government Departments for ensuring trimely raising of necessary infrastructure for this purpose.
The Governor designated the State Industries & Commerce Department as the Nodal Agency for the trans-border trade and announced a budgetry grant of Rs 3 crores – Rs 2 crores for creating facilties at Salamabad in Uri and Rs 1 crore for Chaka-da-Bagh in Poonch. He also directed time bound action to acquire an additional area of 34 kanals of land at Salamabad for augumenting the infrastructure facilities.
The meeting was informed that for finalising the modalities for the commencement of trade, an exchange of delegations from Pak occupied Kashmir and the Kashmir Valley had been proposed a long time ago. While the Government of India had cleared the visit of a group of POK Chamber of Industries and Commerce, the clearance from the Government of Pakistan is still awaited for the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries visiting PoK.
Meanwhile, the frequency of the passenger service on the Poonch-Rawalakoe Road in Jammu and Kashmir has been increased and fixed at weekly basis. The new arrangement will start from September 8.
This information was given at a high level meeting, chaired by Governor, Mr N N Vohra, held here this afternoon to review the progress on the opening of Muzaffarabad Road for trade and commerce. Earlier, the Poonch-Rawalakote Bus Service was plying on fortnightly basis. |
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