Agencies
Srinagar, Sep 09: The Kashmir economy has been crippled by the ongoing three-month long agitation but the cross-line of Control (LOC) trade between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan Administrated Kashmir is flourishing with goods worth over Rs 6 crore traded this week.
"Goods worth over Rs 60 crore have been exchanged at the Salamabad trade facilitation centre between June 1 to September 7, this year," Nodal Officer of cross-LOC trade Mohammad Ashraf Wani told PTI. Wani said the trade between the two sides of Kashmir has been going on smoothly due to the cooperation extended by the traders. According to the data on cross-LoC trade, goods worth Rs 294.60 crore have been exchanged on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route since the trade between the two sides of Kashmir began on October 21, 2008. There has been no significant increase or decrease in the trade volume and value barring the month of August when the trade was suspended due to "unavoidable" circumstances in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Wani said. During the month of June, goods worth nearly Rs 10 crore were exported while goods worth Rs 16.75 crore were imported. In the month of July, the total trade volume was worth nearly Rs 19 crore but the value of the trade fell to Rs 9.2 crore in the month of August. The figures for the month of May, when Kashmir was peaceful, were Rs 8.15 crore worth of exports and Rs 13.45 crore worth of imports. During the month of April, the trade volume had unexpectedly short up to Rs 37 crores -- RS 23.46 crore imports and Rs 13.81 crore exports, Wani said.
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