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| Trucks crossing LoC today, Jammu isolated | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 20: As the convoy of trucks prepares to leave for a historical journey to Muzaffarabad and Rawalakote crossing the Line of Control on Tuesday, the trade Center of Jammu seems to have been pushed in isolation despite the overwhelming support of traders to the Cross-LoC trade.
Governor NN Vohra will launch trucks from Srinagar for Muzaffarabad while his Advisor Dr Sudhir Singh Bloeria will show the green flag at Chakkan-da-Bagh (Poonch) for onward journey to Rawalakote. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee were expected to launch the service from Srinagar and Poonch, respectively, but imposition of Model Code of Conduct appears to have cancelled the programme.
Eleven trucks load of fruits, kidney beans (rajma), honey, spices, walnuts and almonds will leave Srinagar for Muzaffarabad. Similarly, three trucks loads of kidney beans and vegetables will leave Poonch for Rawalakote.
It is surprising that not even a single truck of any commodity is going from the trade hub of Jammu either via Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road or Poonch-Rawalakote road. The leaders of business, trade and industry associations of Jammu are also not a part of any ceremonial launch of the truck service either at Srinagar or at Poonch.
Sources said that after an overwhelming reception and deliberations with visiting traders from Pakistan administered Kashmir, the traders from Jammu have been left high and dry by the authorities as no locally produced or manufactures item has been included in the first dispatch of trucks. “Earlier, the Jammu based traders were to send seven trucks through Poonch-Rawalakote road but since none of the items desired by them was included in the list then they backed off”, sources told EARLY TIMES. Now whatever is going from Poonch in three trucks is all fruits, vegetables and kidney beans collected by the local traders to be sent across as free gifts as a gesture of goodwill.
When contacted, the President of the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ram Sahai confirmed to EARLY TIMES that no truck and not any item is going from Jammu through either of the routes. He said the decision on the list of taken suddenly by the government and there has not been any formal discussion on the issue.
A delegation of traders from Jammu and Srinagar will be traveling to Muzaffarabad next month to hold discussions with their counterparts from the other side. “We are going next month but dates have not been fixed yet”, Sahai said.
All arrangements have been made for the ceremonial inauguration during which trucks will cross the Aman Sethu, and Chakkan-da-Bagh.
"We will be sending 11 truck load of goods across the Line of control tomorrow and five to six trucks are expected to come to this side," President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Mubeen Shah said.
The cross-LoC trade will start nearly three years after the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was launched to allow greater contact between people from both sides of Line of Control (LoC).
"Our trucks, after being checked at Salamabad, will cross the bridge and will be unloaded at Chakoti on the other side while the trucks coming from that side will be unloaded at Salamabad," Shah added.
While there has been joy across the valley over the resumption of trade activity on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, the trading community has been sceptic about its utility.
"Although there might be teething problems early on, the trade across the line of control should be same as with other parts of India," Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, a fruit grower from Baramulla, said.
"It should not be symbolic like the bus service which plies once a week and carries only 30 passengers," he said.
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was the pivotal trade route for Kashmiris before the road was closed following the 1947 Indo-Pak hostilities.
India and Pakistan agreed in principle to start trade on the route a couple of years back but finalising the modalities took some time.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) described the opening of Srinagar-Muzafarabad and Poonch-Rawalakote roads for trade as a step of "unprecedented wisdom and courage" by the two countries.
It is the second most significant and historic Confidence Building Measure (CBM) after the launch of cross-LoC bus service on April 7, 2005, it said.
As has been rightly pointed out by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his recent visit to the State, "history will judge how big these steps were," a PDP statement said.
While opening of cross-LoC routes for travel and trade is a major landmark towards the accomplishment of the vision of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir, a lot more need to be done, the party said. |
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