Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 13: The jewelers across the State continued their bandh, while the hunger strike by the goldsmiths at Hiranagar entered second day.
Over 25000 jewellery shops remained closed for the twelfth consecutive day in protest against the levying of excise duty on the production and manufacturing of the gold ornaments.
Raman Suri, Chairman, Sarafa Association and Swarnkar Sangh Joint Action Committee and Raj Kumar Babbar, All India Vice President Swarnkar Sangh and President Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu province said that the bandh will continue their till demand of revocation of the one per cent excise duty imposed on gold ornaments is not withdrawn by the Central Government.
They added that the if the Union Government failed to roll back the decision at the earliest, the jewellers will come on roads and for any untoward incident, the Government will be responsible.
Meanwhile, large number of goldsmiths continued their hunger strike on the second consecutive day.
“Arun Jaitley in his budget speech proposed 1 percent excise duty on gold ornaments, which is grave injustice with the jewellers’ community, as the community is already under starvation”, said Roop Lal Sundan, President, Goldsmiths Association, Hiranagar and Sanjeev Kumar, Vice President.
They demanded immediate roll back of this anti-jewellers decision with immediate effect.
Follow our WhatsApp channel