Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 18: In an unprecedented move, the heads of all the Associations related to Industries and Commerce after long time have come on a single platform to initiate a decisive campaign to save the existing Industrial units of Jammu region.
In this regard a joint meeting of heads of various Industrial Associations was held here today at the Chamber House in which Arun Gupta, president CCI Jammu; Rajesh Jain, chairman of Federation of Industries; Lalit Mahajan, president Bari Brahmana Industries Association and Vijay Aggarwal, president Association of Industries, Samba participated.
Those present during the meeting discussed and deliberated at length two major issues being faced by the industries of Jammu region; one pertaining to the demand for exempting industrial sector from proposed power tariff hike and the second regarding extension of validity of Provisional registration of Industrial units.
While addressing the meeting JCCI president Arun Gupta raised serious concern over the proposal of hike in power tariff by JPDCL. He said that the proposed hike shall not only hit the existing industrial units but would also send bad signal to the upcoming investors in J&K for which the Government is making relentless efforts.
Chairman FOIJ, Rajesh Jain said that the Apex Project Clearance Committee in its meeting on Dec 8, 2021 granted extension in the validity of provisional registration upto June 30, 2022 to the units which had not commenced production within the stipulated time. He said such industrial units are in the process of commencement of production but due to certain unavoidable circumstances including non-sanctioning of loan, delay in supply of machinery by the supplier, non- issuance of certificate from PCB, non-sanctioning of power etc, they are not in a position to commence their production before June 30, 2022. He appealed to the Government to take effective steps by extending the validity of provisional registration of the aforesaid industrial units by at least one year.
BBIA president, Lalit Mahajan said that the Industrial units in J&K are already on ventilator since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that on one hand the Govt is asking multinational companies to invest in JKUT while on the other, it is not thinking seriously about the existing industries that are suffering due to multiple factors especially that of shortage of power that has created a crisis like situation. He said that the Govt should frame power policies which are industries friendly, failing which the PM’s dream of enormous investments in J&K will get defeated.
Vijay Aggarwal, head Samba Industries body said that the industrialists are highly irked by the anti-existing Industries stance of the Govt as its successive steps or initiatives taken during the past two years seem to be devoid of any help and assistance to the already existing industrial units in J&K. He said that there is most probably disarray in the Department concerned which is evident from the fact that seven Principal Secretaries have been changed during the last two years. He accused the Govt of deliberately not paying heed to the concerns of existing industrial units for the reasons best known to the UT Administration. Many office bearers of these bodies were also present on the occasion.
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