Tamil Nadu - Salem   

Jewellers down shutters

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, MARCH 3. City jewellers downed shutters and declared that jewellery shops would remain closed in the city for three days from today in protest against the levy of two per cent excise duty on branded jewellery items, announced in the Union Budget.

According to President, Salem City Jewellery Merchants Association, Singaram the two per cent excise duty on branded jewellery would choke the industry. Under this law, even a small mark of a letter in a piece of jewellery would render it a branded piece of jewellery. The former President of the Tamil Nadu Jewellers Federation, Shanmugam said that this would totally affect the industry on which lakhs of workers and artisans were depending on their livelihood.

The small and medium jewellery shops were now facing uncertain future. The strike of the jewellers, they said, would continue till Saturday. "If the Government does not consider their demand of withdrawing the duty, the strike will further intensify," they claimed. Leading jewellers took part in the meeting in which the decision to close shops was taken. About 300 shops in the city remained closed.

Erode: Opposing the proposed levy, all the 200 and odd jewellery shop owners closed shops here today.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

SIT still waiting for documents
Jewellers down shutters
Shops raided in Salem

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu