Srinagar, June 29, KNT: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the Jammu and Kashmir Government would seek the intervention of the Central Government if Punjab fails to resolve the issue of levies imposed on livestock being transported by mutton traders from the Union Territory through the neighboring state.
Addressing reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), Omar Abdullah described the action against Jammu and Kashmir’s mutton traders as unjustified and said he has once again urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to address the matter.
The Chief Minister said the traders merely use Punjab as a transit route to transport livestock to Jammu and Kashmir and do not purchase animals from the state. He maintained that they should not be subjected to levies simply for passing through Punjab.
Omar said he has remained in touch with the Punjab Chief Minister over the past several months and has written to him again, urging an early resolution of the issue.
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He warned that if the matter is not resolved by the Punjab Government, it will be raised before the North Zone State Council, and the Jammu and Kashmir Government will seek the Centre’s intervention to protect the interests of local traders.
The issue has become a major concern for mutton traders in Jammu and Kashmir, who contend that the levy imposed during the transit of livestock through Punjab has increased transportation costs and disrupted the supply chain. [KNT]
