In the tug-of-war between the farmers and the centralgovernment, it is the trader community that is bearing the brunt. The farmingcommunity had chosen to block all railways as one of the ways in which toexpress their displeasure.
This is season and a lot of goods need to be transported.Seeing the plight of the traders, the farmers granted a relaxation that theywill permit freight trains to ply through the state.
The traders were relieved.
However, now the central government is making a stance thatunless transportation is enabled in full, partial measures will not beaccepted.
Between this tussle, the traders have been left high anddry.
Narinder Singh Saggo, Industrialist and President Focal PointExtension Association, Jalandhar challenges the link between passenger andfreight trains. If the industries are not resumed then the large population of UttarPradesh and Bihar will have go without livelihood.
The president wonders what about the elections in Bihar. Hegoes on to claim that in this game of chess between the governments, the lossis of India, Indian economy, and the common man. It is to be believed that if thegoods do not reach in time; both ends of production will be affected. The factorieswill not be able to continue manufacturing and the shops will not have goods tosell.
The lack of raw material has resulted in temporary unemploymentof lakhs of individuals. The industry had earlier suffered due to COVID-19 lockdownand now this issue is worsening the situation.
Gursharan Singh, president of the Jalandhar Industrialistsand Traders Joint Action Committee, too concurs that the lockdown has hit theindustry. When the regulations were relaxed, then there were labor problems andthen raw material problems.
The trains were not plying earlier also, but when there washope, the farmers have decided to block trains to express their displeasure onMSP.
Now the export market of Punjab including hand tools, sportsgoods has been decimated. So many containers are stranded at the railwaystations and at seaports.
The convener elaborated how the industry is not under attackfrom one but all sides. Raw material is not being received. Existing rawmaterial with the company has been used and now the finished goods are notbeing dispatched. The raw material in open market has become prohibitivelyexpensive.
GST refund of the industrialists is pending with the centralgovernment. He claims that the industry might vanish from the state if thestate government does not take initiatives. He reminded that the industry is asource of revenue for the government and if the industries lose then thegovernment also loses.
Earlier factories worked 24-hours-a-day but now if the firmis able to operate for 8 hours that is an achievement. Even the transport costshave more than doubled.
He clarified that all sizes of companies have been hit, butthe worst-hit are the medium-sized companies.
He ended the interview requesting the state government to workout with the central government and resolve the genuine issues of our feeders,the farmers.
The issue of freight trains was raised in a meeting of Chamberof Industrial and Commercial Undertakings, Ludhiana. The traders claimed thatif the freight trains do not begin plying soon, their factories may have to beclosed.
All in all, about Rs 1,500 loss has been incurred in thelast in one month. Moreover, they see only further losses on the horizon.
In the meeting, the traders continued that the neighboringstates of Haryana and Rajasthan too have farmers, but they have not droppeddown to such measures.
The traders requested the Punjab government to handle theissue, and would be meeting the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh soon.