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Centre alert over ‘smuggling’ in Poonch Cross-LoC trade

Anubahv Misri. Dated: 2/13/2015 1:50:15 PM

POONCH, Feb 12: The central government is very much alert over smuggling during the Cross-Line of Control (LoC) from Chakkan-Da-Bagh and is closely monitoring every development taking place.
This was stated by Sulekha, Deputy Secretary Home Department J&K during his visit to Trade Facilitation Center (TFC) Chakkan-Da-Bagh. She was heading a technical team of officers in connection with the identification of site for installation of Full Truck Body Scanners (FTBS) at TFC Chakkan-Da-Bagh and a technical team of Government of India visited here today.
District Development Commissioner, Poonch, M H Malik, Additional Superintendent of Police, Amit Gupta, Custodian, Chakan-da-Bagh, Mohammad Ashraf Chowdhary, Executive Engineer, PWD, Kabir Hussain Shah the central team, comprising Sulekha, D Chakraverty Deputy Director, Kavita P Dixit and G K Panda Scientific officers accompanied the technical team.
After site inspection at TFC Chakkan-da-Bagh the team also interacted with some traders.
A trader’s delegation headed by Krishan Singh also met Technical team and made them aware about the problems being faced by them. The traders raised issues of banned items, enhancement in numbers of trucks, telephone facility for traders, short term multi entry permit for traders, organizing traders meet at Immigration Center, cold storage in Poonch, installation of whole body scanner, one man trade and travel authority, enhancement in tradable items besides Banking facility.
In response to traders’ demands, Sulekha said as per her information there was no ban on 21 items permitted for cross LoC Trade. “Our officers are liberal with traders as we are facilitating this trade. We requested Pakistan to enhance tradable items and number of trucks number of times but they didn’t show any interest. I have noted your points of multi entry permit for traders, telephone facility, cold storage and I think all these things are necessary for growth of cross LoC trade,” she said, adding that they are here to inspect site for installation of whole body scanner and soon this sophisticated machine will be installed.
While team also chaired a high level meeting of all concerned officers and directed them to provide better facilities for the smooth functioning of cross LoC trade and minutely discussed installation of whole body scanner at Rangar Nallah.
Interacting with media persons, Krishan Singh General Secretary Cross LoC Traders Association said center government wanted to see problems of traders and what improvement can be made to raise the volume of trade. “I think center government wanted improvement in trading facilities and to redress trader’s grievances a high level team has been sent to hear our grievances and to install whole body scanner at Ranger Nallah. I think government of India wanted to raise the volume of trade without compromising with security. The team listened our grievances and accepted most of our demands and soon all our demands were implemented,” he maintained
The installation of FTBS at this LoC trade point will facilitate easy and smooth flow of trade and transit for traders between the two countries.