Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: Jewellers across the Jammu region remained on roads for the twenty-seventh consecutive day by closing down their establishments over the Central Government’s decision of imposing one per cent excise duty on gold ornaments.
Amid slogans, large number of jewellers, karigars and swarnkars assembled at Jain Bazaar and took out protest rally from Chowk Chabutra, which passed through various bazaars and culminated at Jain Bazaar. They demanded immediate roll back of the excise duty decision.
While speaking, Raman Suri, Chairman, Sarafa Association and Swarnkar Sangh Joint Action Committee said that on March 17, said that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should immediately redress the issue of the protesting jewellers, otherwise it would be difficult for the Central Government to control the protesting jewellers.
On one hand, PM Narendra Modi has launched various schemes to safeguard the future of the women especially girl child and on the other hand imposed excise duty on gold ornaments. The decision of imposing excise duty will lead to problems for the people especially girl child during their marriage, Suri added.
Parjan Kumar Jain, President Sarafa Association, Jammu, Kulbhushan Anand, President Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu District, Vijay Verma, General Secretary, Sarafa Association, Jammu, Ajay Vaid, General Secretary, Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu District, Ajay Talla, Rakesh Mahajan, CL Puri and Darshan Dhalla, executive members of Sarafa association in their speeches said that jewellers are facing losses worth crores but the Government is adamant on its decision.
“We are too much astonished that despite our almost a month-long agitation and genuine demand, Union Ministry is ignoring us, whom we thought as our own Government and offered it a great support by majority of jewellers all across India in 2014 elections”, they added.
“Government should re-think on excise duty decision and should diffuse the situation at the earliest by revoking the anti-jewellers decision”, they stated.
Meanwhile, jewellers under the banner of Swarnkar Sangh took out a rally in district Samba.
Addressing the gathering, Bahadur Singh Verma, All India President Swarnkar Sangh and Raj Kumar Babber, All India Vice President Swarnkar Sangh and President Swarnkar Sangh Jammu Province asked the jewellers to remain united and continue with the strike till the Central Government revokes its decision.
Among others present were General Secretary All India Swarnkar Sangh Ravi Verma, Youth President Swarnkar Sangh Gaziabad Sonu Verma, General Secretary Jammu Province, Vice President Jammu Province Vijay Verma, General Secretary Swarnkar Sangh Jammu Province Ram Kapoor, Additional General Secretary Swarnkar Sangh Sanjeev Verma, etc.
Later, the jewellers submitted memorandum to DC Samba Sheetal Nanda for forwarding the same to Central Government.
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