J-K requests Centre to increase cross LoC trade period

The Jammu and Kashmir government has appealed to the Centre to allow cross LoC trade four days per week, the state Legislative Council was informed on Monday.

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government has
appealed to the Centre to allow cross LoC trade four days per
week, the state Legislative Council was informed on Monday.

During the Question hour, Industries and Commerce
Minister Surjeet Singh Salathia said "the state government has
recommended to the Centre to increase the number of cross LoC
trading days between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied
Kashmir (PoK) from two days a week to four days".

The Ministry of Home Affairs if looking into the matter, he said.

The government has also requested the Centre to procure
and install whole body truck scanners for checking the goods
coming into the state from PoK, they said, adding the Defence
Ministry was looking into it.

The trade, which is being conducted on barter system
basis, has increased many folds and it has become difficult to
carry on with the system. The Centre has been requested to
take measures to facilitate financial transactions for trading
across the LoC, he said.

Goods worth Rs 160.21 crore had been imported and worth
Rs 111.92 crore exported via two cross-LoC points -- Salamabad
(uri-Muzaffarabad road) in Baramulla and Chakan-Da-Bagh in
Poonch -- since the launch of the trade on October 21, 2008,
he said.

State government has sent two infrastructure expansion
plans involving Rs 75.60 crore for the two trading points.

"To make it possible for the traders from our side to
speak to their counterparts in PoK, the Telecommunications
ministry has provided ISD facilities to Pakistan on a few
specific telephone numbers in both Kashmir and Jammu
provinces," he said.

PTI

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