Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): The leading trade bodies in Kashmir held a joint press conference here today and asked Centre for a special financial package to revive business and economy in the Union Territory, saying the industry and traders in the region have suffered since August last year and now the Covid lockdown has added to their woes.
The Centre had revoked Article 370 last year which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The representatives of at least 30 major trade organisations in the UT today said they felt ignored in the recently announced Rs 20 lakh crore special economic package. Sheikh Ashiq Hussain, President of Kashmir Chamber Commerce and Industries (KCCI) while addressing a joint presser at SKICC here, said that the traders who have suffered immensely in the past several decades in Kashmir demand measures for the revival of their businesses.
“The only aim to hold a joint presser today is to raise our voice for the business fraternity across the Valley which has suffered huge losses due to the situation that gripped the Valley from time to time,” he said. “In the past two decades, Kashmir alone has witnessed 3000 days of shutdown resulting in the huge looses to the business fraternity,” Hussain said.
He said that in particular, their business has suffered a dent since last ten months. “We have met the Union Home Minister and Union Finance minister and MoS PMO regarding the losses faced by the traders. We have brought into their notice about the challenges being faced by the business community in Kashmir,” he said.
He said that business in Kashmir has received another major jolt in the form of COVID pandemic in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Our businesses friends in India have raised voice over the losses suffered by them. The government later announced a package for the people who got affected,” he said. “We have been excluded from the package as the package was announced for those only who have suffered losses in last two months. But, the businessmen in Kashmir are facing the losses from last ten months.”
Iqbal Ahmad, Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) Vice-Chairman while talking to the media men said the Valley has witnessed 3000 days of lockdown in over two decades. “Whenever the valley witnessed lockdown, the business fraternity got badly affected. Since 1999, Kashmir has witnessed 3000 days of lockdown. Despite witnessing such a situation, none of the traders here become Vijay Mallya or Nirav Modi. The Kashmiri’s trader who has borrowed money from the banks here is repaying the amount in installments and on time,” he said, adding that “We do deserve the package.”
“We have approached the State governments in past, they heard us; many packages were given in the past. I will not deny that but when Rs 8000 Crore was announced for Jammu and Kashmir after floods, a meager amount was given to the business community here,” he said.
Among the representatives of over 30 trade bodies who were present on the occasion include Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCC&I), Kashmir Traders & Manufacturing Federation (KTMF), Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir (FCIK), PHD Chamber of Commerce (Kashmir Chapter) and Kashmir Hotel & Restaurant Owners Federation (KHAROF).
