 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 3: Representatives of Jammu Wine Trader Association (JWTA) on Saturday once again urged the J&K Government to put the "New Excise Policy" in abeyance.
Addressing a news conference here JWTA representatives said, "Outsiders have started purchasing land/shops in rural areas, and the local businessman cannot compete with them in e-bid, the government should consider our repeated requests and put the New Excise Policy in abeyance."
They said that the hearing in review petition filed before the J&K High Court has been completed and the Court has reserved its verdict. "We are hopeful that the Court will do justice with thousands of people affiliated with the wine trade in J&K", they said.
The JWTA representatives said that the local businessman cannot compete with outsiders in the e-tendering system proposed in the new policy. "They (outsiders) have enough money compared to local businessmen. If government implements New Excise Policy, many of us will be forced to commit suicide. We have taken loans from banks and borrowed money from the market, if the new policy is introduced, how will we repay the debts", they said.
"Our licences were renewed for five years we paid the government for the same. To meet these expenses, we borrowed money. Some people have taken education loans for their children, home loans, who will return the loans to banks, if we lost our source of income", they said.
Picking holes in the new policy, they said a bidder has to pay minimum ten lakhs to participate in the bid. "Govt has fixed Rs 5 lakhs as earnest to participate in the bid. And the bid for each wine shop will start onward Rs 5 lakhs, which likely to go further high. Majority of the existing wine shops earn around Rs 10 to 12 lakhs annually, but if the bid goes beyond it, can somebody survive, it is the basic reason that local businessmen cannot participate in this system", they added.
"We have been putting our concern before the government through the media for the last one and half month. We met Dr Jatinder Singh, MoS PMO, we got time from Lt Governor Manoj Sinha after issuance of the new policy. We met LG Sahib, we requested him to save us. We hope that we will get justice", they added. |
