Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Oct 17: Cement industry in Kashmir has suffered a loss of nearly Rs 200 crore as ongoing unrest has put almost all industries to halt thereby further denting the sluggish economy of State.
Nestled on the foothills at twin industrial hamlets – Khrew and Khonmoh – in the outskirts of Srinagar, all the cement factories wore a deserted look these days which has severely affected the trade and has put livelihood of hundreds of employees at stake.
Managing Director, JK Cement Private Limited, Atul Sharma, said the ongoing unrest has blown out their efforts to revive the ailing company and has plunged it into a loss again. “Six months back our company was at loss and we had worked hard to put it back on track.
“We were doing well. Our production and demand increased a lot and we were making good profit. But the unrest is hitting us badly. We have suffered a loss of nearly Rs 20 crore as the factory is shut for the last three months,” he said.
He further said that the lockdown is directly affecting the families of their employees as they have not been able to pay them salaries, “Since it’s a Corporation which thrives directly on the profits but from last three months we have not done any business,” said Atul.
The lockdown has also sky-rocketed the cement prices thereby encouraging the black marketers who sell the cement at exorbitant rates. Manzoor Ahmad, a consumer, said that the shortage of locally produced cement forced him to buy it at double rates, “I had to pay Rs 600 for one bag of cement which would have otherwise cost me just Rs 400,” he said.
Accounts Officer of Saifco Cements, Ghulam Hassan while explaining the reasons behind this sudden hike in the rates, said: “There are two main reasons behind this: first is the increase in the ferrying charges and the second being the ongoing unrest itself. Normally one truckload of cement would cost nearly Rupees 60-70,000 but the unrest has escalated it to Rs one lakh.”
According to data provided by seven major cement factories, more than 70% of workforce is from local population and the transportation of cement is also carried out by trucks owned by locals whose lives have been directly affected by the closure. Almost 1200 trucks which ferry cement across Kashmir have been biting the dust from last three months.
A member of the Zaffran Truck Association said that almost every household owns a truck in Khonmoh and Khrew areas of Pulwama district and they are bearing the brunt of the closure. “There are more than 1200 trucks which ferry cement day in and day out from these factories. It’s not only about the transportation charges but there are day labourers who load the cement and earn good. Yes, we are in a way dependent on them,” he said.
As the local cement factories continue to be locked the factories operating from outside are cashing out the unrest by expanding their consumer base and earning huge profits.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel