Angry over the Centre remaining unmoved despite their protracted stir against the one per cent excise duty being slapped on the purchase of non-silver ornaments, the jewellers have called a State bandh on April 4. As part of their ongoing stir that started on March 2, Dehradun- based jewellers have been keeping their shops shuttered. They have been going on with the shutdown agitation under the banner of various associations-Sarafa Mandal, Jewellers’ Association of Uttranchal, District Jewellers Association and Uttarakhand Jewellers Association.
Sarafa Mandal president Praveen Jain said that the Centre is not taking their agitation seriously. No action has been taken though they have been protesting for the past one month, he said, adding that the agitation would continue till the Centre withdraws the unjustified fiat. He asked the people to make their shutdown call successful on Monday.
JAU vice -president Sunil Masson said that the Centre had landed the jewellers in a grim crisis. They must roll it back aside from raising the limit of requirement of PAN card for jewellery transactions from `2 lakh to `10 lakh.
Five protesters sat on the rely stir going on for the past 25 days at Dhamawala on Saturday. The protesters assembled and shouted anti- Centre slogans.