Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 8: Association of Timber Industry (AoTI) has urged upon the J&K UT Administration to allow operation of timber industry in J&K and also waive off bank interest of the units.
Vice president of the AoTI, Puneet Singh Jamwal said that since the most of industries falling in industrial estates are functioning as per the government order to ease down the lockdown restrictions, but none of the timber industry is located inside industrial estates. It is there fore requteted to the Lt Governor to G C Murmu to give permissions to timber industry /traders to resume work.
Jamwal said that most of the labourers involved in timber trade belong to other states and they are stranded due to lock down. And now it’s getting difficult to hold them here. If once they will go to their mother states, they will not be returning back for less than 8 to 9 months and without labor our trade will be rendered non–operational.
He further said that timber needs special precautions during summer seasons and imported timber cannot be stored for too long during summers in Jammu as it will bend, shrink and develop cracks and most of the timber traders are holding materials worth crores. He further said that every timber trader have raised business loans/limits worth lakhs and interest on loans/current limits is sucking not only their savings but also creating additional liabilities on them . As per the guidelines, banks have differed their EMI’s but they will be charging interest and rather interest on interest also. Moreover, none of the timber trader has abridged labours or official staff and they are getting their salary as usual, without any work.
Jamwal said most of timber traders will not bear this and their business will be ruined in the time to come. He requested Lt Governor to give permissions to timber traders /industry to operate and also give special guidelines for weaving off of interest during lockdown period.
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