news details |
|
|
| 70 cross sides, infected garlic returned to PoK | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, May 12: Even as 72 persons crossed side through Line of Control via Chakkan-da-Bagh in Pooonch sector, at least 30 truck loads of garlic were returned to the Pakistan occupied Kashmir for carrying a pathogen infection.
Including four first times, 72 persons crossed sides through weekly Poonch-Rawlakote bus service along Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point. 44 persons where on board the bus that left Poonch for Pakistan occupied Kashmir. While four of them were residents of Poonch district, the remaining 40 residents of PaK who returned home after completing their 28 days stay here to meet their relatives first time since indo-Pak partition.
From PoK, 28 including 19 fresh visitors, reached Poonch to meet their divided families. The nine others were returnees who completed their allotted stay with their divided relations.
The LoC travel has witnessed the topsy-turvy trend for fresh citizens from Jammu to Pakistan administered Kashmir. On last occasion, ten persons were among 73 persons who crossed sides in weekly bus service in Poonch district of Jammu.
On previous occasion, the number of fresh visitors to Pak from Jammu was only two. On 20 April, the number had gone up to 40. Sources said that only nine first-timers from Jammu could make it to Pak from Chakan-Da-Bagh in March while 82 had crossed in February.
On March 2 and 9, no citizen from this side and on March 16 and 23, only two and five citizens respectively left Poonch for PoK. On April 07, only three first timers made it to Pak while on the next dating on April 12, not even a single citizen from Jammu left to Pak through the crossing.
Meanwhile, at least 30 trucks loaded with garlic were sent back through the Chakan Da Bagh on Tuesday as the road was opened for cross LoC trade. Sources said that the decision comes after the Union agriculture ministry wrote a letter to the state government alleging that the garlic carried a pathogen that can prove dangerous.
The letter sent by the Union Agriculture Ministry's Directorate of Plant Protection to the officials of the Trade Facilitating Centre on Monday, impresses upon them to strictly disallow import of garlic, stating that pethogene infection has been found in samples collected by it.
Though senior officials in the Poonch district administration expressed lack of knowledge over the issue, sources said that laborartory report of the samples of garlic earlier collected by officials of the Directorate of Plant Protection at Chakkan Da Bagh tested garlic as carrying pethogene infection.
Significantly, garlic has been one of the 21 items included in the list cleared by both India and Pakistan for trading between both parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The alert, sources said, is likely to cause a major set back to cross LoC trade as garlic was the major commodity being imported by traders on this side. A total of 35 trucks carrying garlic worth Rs 70 lakh were awaiting clearance across LoC for trading it into India through Chakkan Da Bagh on Tuesday, sources said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
