Lakhanpur toll abolition set to boost construction work

Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 14

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is likely to witness a boost in construction activities, as the abolition of toll on goods at Lakhanpur has cut down the prices of cement and steel.

Abolition of toll from Lakhanpur has reduced the prices of all commodities, which were being imported from the other states to Jammu and Kashmir.

But the cement and steel were the main commodities, which would directly affect the pockets of people, especially construction agencies, who were earlier buying it on higher prices.

The price of steel has been slashed by Rs100 per quintal, whereas the price of cement has been slashed by Rs60-65 per bag of 50 kg.

“The abolition of toll from Lakhanpur was due since 2017, when GST was implemented in J&K. This has reduced the price of all commodities by minimum Rs1 per kg. But the visible slash is in the prices of steel and cement as the customer always buys it in quintals,” said Neeraj Anand, president, Chamber of Traders’ Federation (CTF).

“This abolition of toll has not only slashed the prices of commodities, but it will also boost infrastructural development in the UT and increase the GST revenue of the administration. There was a mafia, which used to evade toll and the entire GST and toll went to the black market. Now, they won’t have to evade toll and GST will also add to the revenue of the UT,” he said.

Dealers, who used to bring products from outside J&K and sell it here, are also happy, as the abolition of toll not only reduces the prices of commodities, but also saves time as their products get delayed by 2-10 days at Lakhanpur for checking.

“It is the biggest sigh of relief for traders of J&K, as it not only saves money, but also saves our time. Sometimes vehicles carrying our products get stuck at Lakhanpur for almost a week, which sometimes damages the products as well,” said Ankush Khajuria, a local trader.

The abolition of toll has also reduced the prices of fruits, pulses, rice, spices, cloth, marble and hardware items among others more, which were being imported from other parts of the country.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has abolished the toll on goods at Lakhnpur from January 1, 2020.

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