Dry ports in J&K a non-starter: JCCI

An industry body Monday said a project to set up dry ports, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a non-starter in Jammu and Kashmir.

"It was last year in the month of February that the J&K government and Dubai Ports World in presence of our Prime Minister Narinder Modiji and Crown Prince of AbuDhabi signed an MoU for establishment of the said dry port inSamba and Ompura in J&K", Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries President Rakesh Gupta told reporters here ahead of Modi's visit to Jammu on February 3.

After almost one year the said project is seen no where as the land to be provided by the state has not been allotted till date, Gupta said.

"This dry port included warehouses, special storage solutions, stores and cold storage chain in addition to complete logistic solutions", he said.

J&K being a geographically disadvantaged state, the project will bring down the transportation cost and connect it with other centres for imports and exports as Dubai Port World already operates such facilities in 40 countries across six continents, he said.

The delay in initiating the project has resulted in immense loss not only to the business but also the common man, JCCI said.

"Thousands of crores of rupees of foreign direct investment, thousands of skilled and unskilled jobs have been lost. On one hand, the labour class is migrating silently to other states for want of jobs and on the other hand the educated youth of the state are unemployed and fallingeasy prey to the menace of drugs or migrating to other states for want of jobs and some choosing the path of violence and death, which is most unfortunate", Gupta said.

Taking a dig at the central and state governments, JCCI said the sole 'one nation one tax' initiative of the prime minister has not seen the light of the day in the state as it was not implemented in the state.

"We question the collection of Rs 800-900 crore in the name of state toll tax at Lakhanpur, which at theend of the day is paid by the common man living in the state", he said.

The state toll tax has resulted in increase in transportation cost, hardships to drivers and cleaners, inflation and corruption, he said.