Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 5: Jewellers across the State continued their protest for the fourth consecutive day called by the All India Jewellers and All India Swarnkar Sangh Associations against excise duty imposed on production/manufacturing of gold jewellery.
As no fruitful results came from Government’s side, Jewellers all over India including in Jammu and Kashmir extended bandh till March 7, which may further be extended indefinitely, if demands will not be fulfilled.
The jewelers under the chairmanship of Raman Suri, Chairman, Sarafa Association and Swarankar Sangh Joint Action Committee, Raj Kumar Babber, All India Vice President Swarnkar Sangh and President Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu Province, Parjan Kumar Jain, President Sarafa Association, Jammu, Kulbhushan Anand, President Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu District, Vijay Kumar Verma, General Secretary Sarafa Association, Jammu, Ram Kapoor, General Secretary Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu Province, Ajay Vaid, General Secretary Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu District, Surinder Kumar Jain, Treasurer Sarafa Association, Jammu, Jewellers of Jammu Province sat on dharna at Jain Bazaar.
Amid slogans against Union Finance Minister, the jewelers took out a rally, which passed through Chowk Chabutra, Pacca Danga, Raj Tilak Road, Purani Mandi, Link Road, Pir Mitha, Lakhdata Bazar and culminated at Kanak Mandi Chowk.
Raj Kumar Babbar and Parjan Kumar Jain jointly said that they were expecting something special for jewellery trade during budget, but got demoralized by hearing the news of imposition of excise duty.
“We will intensify the protest, if Government failed to roll back the excise duty decision and for any consequence of protest, the Government will be responsible”, Suri warned.
Speaking during the dharna, Vijay Kumar Verma said “We respect Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his whole team, but when we heard about levying of excise duty on manufacturing/ production of gold jewellery, we got astonished. In 2012, when congress imposed excise duty on gold jewellery, Modi himself said that this law is not good for jewellery trade”.
Kulbhushan Anand and Ajay Vaid also spoke and said that all our jewellery traders were the people who voted for the Modi led Government in 2014 due to which BJP came in majority with huge success, but we are too much disappointed by the budget in which excise duty has been imposed on us.
All prominent Jewellers, Swarnkars, Office Bearers and executive members of All Jewellery Associations were present in the dharna and rally.
Meanwhile, the people across the State, who have marriage or some other functions, also faced problems due to closure of the jewellery shops. They also urged the Union Government to take immediate decision and provide some relief to the people of the State in particular and country in general by resolving the issues of jewellers.
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