Early Times Report
jammu, Mar 23: Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) is being strongly assailed by jewellers and gold traders across Jammu region for not coming in support of their strike against the Centre's proposed 1 pc excise duty on non-silver jewellery.
The jewellers are on strike for the past 22 days as industry officials feel that the planned tax will damage growth as it will make certain purchases more expensive for buyers, at a time when demand is already weak due to the global financial slowdown.
They said the proposed tax would drastically bring down the gold consumption in the region at a time when "India vies with China for the title of the world's biggest consumer of gold".
The proposed 1 pc excise duty was announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Budget for 2016-17 on jewellery, excluding silver other than studded with diamonds and some other precious stones, on March 2 last. Since then a sizeable number of jewellers, bullion traders and artisans are on strike across the country, demanding a complete roll-back of the planned excise duty.
In Jammu region too, there seems to be no sign of end to jewellers' strike. Almost 100 pc jewellery shops are closed here since March 2.
To take the fight to its logical conclusion and put up a joint struggle, jewellers of Jammu region have formed Swarankar Sangh-Sarafa Association Joint Action Committee (JAC).
Raj Kumar Babbar, vice-president of All India Swarankar Sangh and president of the Sangh's Jammu chapter, said CCI had so far not come in their support openly. "We will be meeting office bearers of CCI and other traders' unions tomorrow to seek their support," he informed.
He said they would be asking the CCI and traders' union to come in their support because they had also supported their strike calls in the past.
In reply to a query, Babbar said CCI had so far not offered them any suo-moto support. "They have, however, given us verbal assurance to support our strike," he added.
"We are more concerned about thousands of artisans and small-scale traders. By imposing excise duty on us, the Centre wants to start Inspector Raj," he asserted.
"How will we survive when we don't work? Marriage season is also approaching. If our shops, which are over 30,000 in the region, remain closed, people will not be able to buy jewellery for marriages of their nears and dears," Babbar said, calling upon the Government to roll back the excise duty without any further delay of time.
"Excise duty was first imposed on us in 1962, but it was abolished in 1990 after 28 years of our fight. Several were jailed while many committed suicide during these years. It was again proposed in March 2012, but BJP then opposed it tooth and nail. After four years, BJP has, however, surprised us all by making a proposal in this regard," he said.
JAC chairman Raman Suri said in yesterday's meeting, which was attended by 26 presidents of Swarankar Sangh from Jammu region, it was decided that no shop would remain open till the strike ended. "We will not let our strike weaken," he added.
He said JAC members had also called on the State Governor on Tuesday and submitted him a memorandum. |
