Govt must go for reforms in cross LoC trade: JKJCCI

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 20: On the seventh anniversary of the launch of Cross Line of Control trade, the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JKJCCI) has sought attention of the State and Central Governments for looking beyond confidence building measures and putting the trade on modern lines.
In a press statement here today, the president of the Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Y V Sharma has said that despite frequent and best attention of the Central and State Government, the Cross-LoC trade is still being conducted on medieval pattern of barter. He said that few hundred traders have sustained this trade mainly on the basis of their interest in substantiating the Government efforts of building confidence through trade and travel across the Line of Control.
“I salute the resilience and commitment of these traders but time has come to make the trade formal and profitable”, Mr Sharma said.
The Joint Chamber president thanked the Chief Minister on behalf of all traders for taking his personal interest and also taking up the matter with the Prime Minister during his recent meeting. He said despite these efforts, the Cross-LoC trade still continues to suffer from policy paralysis. Mr Sharma pointed out, “while as frequent visits of Chief Minister and top Central officers including the Union Home Secretary to the LoC trading points suggests commitments of Central and State Governments but the same is not being coupled with policies to translate into practical reality”.
Mr Sharma said that the Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which represents the Cross-LoC trade interests on both sides, has from time to time made recommendations to Central and State Governments and is willing to engage further for discussing reforms in the Cross-LoC trade regime. He said that one of the important issues which the Joint Chamber has been taking up with Centre and State Governments is facilitating travel of Cross-LoC traders to the other side LoC for market access and dispute resolution but a positive outcome has yet to come.
He appealed to the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Minister of Industries and Commerce Chander Prakash Ganga, the Union Home Secretary and Joint Secretary (Kashmir) MHA to convene a stakeholders’ meeting for discussion on reforms in Cross-LoC trade viz-a-viz CBM and profitability.

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