Srinagar: In an attempt to restrict the benefits of the cross LoC trade to some blue eyed traders, authorities have allegedly allowed a handful of them to operate under fictitious titles in clear violation of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) .
Sources revealed to that most of the traders are operating with mo
re than one firms registered in their names, in order to gaining the maximum benefit by killing competition. “There are at least 20 traders who have managed to enlist more than three firms each in their names whereas some traders are finding it difficult to even enlisted their only firms”, a trader operating from the Uri TFC, “These traders have floated many fictitious firms and fraudulently managed to get enlistedâ€.
Pertinently there are more than 500 firms enlisted for cross LoC trade at Salamabad TFC alone. “If the trade has to be run this way, it won’t serve any purpose. You can’t have a few Traders operating a bulk of the Firms” another trader told.
The traders also appealed government to review the trader’s lists and deregister the traders operating under more than one titles. “Government must revise the SOP with Pakistani authorities and allow more and more traders to take benefit from the trade which will also enhance competition”
Traders also expressed their concern over the items that are being traded to the other side of the LOC. “You have got Banana, Imli, fresh Fruits and certain other items approved in the list of tradable items, but none of them are exclusively home made or home produced”, traders told . They demanded that the tradable items be confined to the local production only. Home Secreatry R.K Singh during his recent visit to the state is believed to have told Traders that it wasn’t necessary that the items exported across the LOC should be local only. “It is not necessary that only Local items should be exported to PAK”, Singh was quoted by sources of having said.
Pertinently there are currently 21 items being exported to other side of the LOC where as an even number of items is being imported to this side of the dividing line.
Meanwhile Custodian of the cross LoC trade Nazir Ahmad Baba told that the list of the traders was being revisited. “We have initiated a process to scrutinize the lists and we will try to encourage more unemployed youth to get involved in the cross LoC trade”, Baba told. He said that the items will also be probably revised this year. “It is the job of the two governments to revise the list of the items and I reckon some process has been initiated by New Delhi”, he said.
Items worth 558 crore INR have been exported to PAK, where as items worth 881 crore Pakistani Currency have been imported since the trade began through Slamabad Uri in October 2008.
