Days after a murderous attack on Kashmiri truckers in Udhampur in Jammu division, business chambers of Kashmir and Jammu have demanded that Jammu and Kashmir should be made a free economic zone to trade with Pakistan, China, and Central Asia.
“The demand for making Jammu and Kashmir a free economic zone will also be taken up by both Chambers jointly to get the territory out of financial mess,” said president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mushtaq Ahmad Wani. He was addressing a press conference jointly with Rakesh Gupta, President of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) in Srinagar.
They also sought an end to illegal occupation of territory’s power projects and their return. “The Government of India is illegally occupying our power projects which has an adverse impact on our economy. As a result, J&K is tagged as a beggar state which would not have been the case had the power projects been returned to the State.”
This is for the first time that Jammu-based business chamber has joined the Kashmir Chamber in seeking return of power projects under control of National Hydel Power Corporation.
But so far, he added, India is showing reluctance on handing over the power projects to the territory. Wani said the Chamber raised the demand of return of power project with interlocutors on Kashmir after 2010.
Echoing similar views, the President of JCCI, Rakesh Gupta, termed the control of NHPC on state power projects as illegal and unconstitutional.
“Our power projects are controlled by the Indian government which is clear case of forceful occupation of the state’s resources,” he said, adding, “Both Chambers of Jammu and Kashmir would pressurize New Delhi to return the power projects.”
“Both Chambers urge the Indian government to consider making JK as free economic zone as the geography of the state has enabled us to connect to various neighboring countries beyond Pakistan, including China and Central Asia,” he said
