CHANDIGARH: The integrated Check Post at the Attari Wagah wears a deserted look after New Delhi revoked the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan and imposed 200 per cent customs levy on all goods entering from Pakistan.
Around 200 trucks used to import goods from Pakistan to India via Attari every day. But these numbers have dwindled, with only four trucks coming from Pakistan and six going from India on February 21.
Traders who had ordered items before the hike are in a bind, because though the trucks have reached the check post at Attari, they will now have to pay a whopping premium in taxes. Around 1,433 labourers who work at the ICP are also concerned about their livelihood since work has almost come to a standstill.
“The Union government should have at least given a few days’ relaxation to the traders to pick up the goods that have already been imported from across the border before increasing the duty by 200 per cent, now the government should give at least one week’s relaxation to the trader’s who’s material has reached here at the border from Pakistan before the duty hike as they have order earlier,’’ argued RS Sachdeva, Chairman of PHD Chamber of Commerce, Punjab.
“Approximately one lakh bags of cement bags are lying at Attari as some 50 truck loads of cement have arrived,” said All India Dry Dates Association President Anil Mehra. “But now a bag of cement from Pakistan which use to cost around Rs 250 would attract an import duty of `600. Seven trucks carrying dry dates have also arrived, but a truck load of dates which use to cost `2.22 lakh earlier will now cost `34 lakh, including the GST. Besides these two commodities gypsum and inorganic chemicals and drugs are also lying at Attari, ‘’ he said.
“Now dry-dates are now coming through J&K, as only 21 items produced in J&K and POK are allowed to be traded through the two posts there, but illegally these are coming, Also other material is also coming,’’ he said.
India had unilaterally given MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, but Pakistan allowed the import of only 138 items from India through the Attari-Wagah border. In 2018-19 up to July, the trade through Attari border was of Rs 912 crore ( Rs 721 croe import and `191 crore export). In 2017-18 it was Rs 4,148 crore.
“Truck of cement and dry dates which came from Pakistan were unloaded at the Attari border on February 16, and traders should be allowed to pick them up at earlier customs duty before it was hiked to 200 per cent as they did not know about this when they ordered,” said a leading trader, Om Parkash. “Now India should impose 400 per cent duty from all goods imported from Pakistan,” he added.