Chandigarh: Over 3000 export containers are lying dumped at the dry port, Ludhiana due to farmers protests sitting on ‘dharna’ at the Shambhu railway station on Haryana-Punjab border since past over 12 days, not only causing lot of inconvenience to the passengers travelling in the trains as well as heavy loss to trade and industry in Punjab state. Information reveals, over 3000 containers of goods to be exported to different countries against export orders, which also include perishable goods are presently lying for the shipment from sea ports at Ludhiana dry port, likely to incur heavy loss to the manufacturers as well as exporters in Punjab state.
According to the Custom Commissioner Ludhiana, he has already taken up matter with the Ministry of Railways to change the route of goods trains from Punjab since the exporters are suffering heavy loss due to the farmers repeated protests since past two and half months, which have already resulted heavy loss to the exporters in the state failed to execute export orders of huge value. According to the industry entrepreneurs and the exports the tariff on each container for dispatch to sea ports via road transport causes not only much delay but also putting additional financial burden on them towards freight up to Rs 10000 each container. They said, as a result of repeated protests by the farmers in Punjab, it has become a challenge for trade and industry in the state losing heavy export orders.
The industry owners and the exporters in Punjab have made an appeal to the government to settle farmers’ demands in order to save the industry. They said, facilities like freight corridor and introduction of double decker goods trains as assured by the government are awaited, but frequent protests by the farmers in Punjab causing heavy loss as well as inconvenience to business community in Punjab. They also made an appeal to the farmers to settle various issues with the government amicably in order to save the economic condition of Punjab state adversely affected since past sometime.
