Title - Exports to Pak hit despite more Samjhauta Express wagons

Amritsar:
Even as the Indian Railways has started providing 20 wagons a week in the bi-weekly Samjhauta Express to exporters, it is yet to extend them wagons in goods train as well for facilitating exports to Pakistan.Rajesh Setia, general secretary, Amritsar Exporters Chamber of Commerce, said they were still not getting wagons in goods trains as promised by the Railways. He said they were getting only 10 to 15 Pakistani wagons in goods trains every week depending upon their arrival from the neighbouring country. He said this had solved their problem only up to 30 per cent."A huge stock of goods is still stuck in godowns at the rail cargo facility here while the exporters are forced to hold back further supply of goods." He said the inflow of wagons from Pakistan was also less as the imports were low owing to rupee devaluation.

Setia said since the cement import had been shifted to the road route, it had further hit the inflow of Pakistani wagons into India. The cement importers had shifted their trade to the road route following repeated seizures of heroin in the rail cargo in the recent past, he said, adding they were primarily exporting polymers, chemicals, spices and herbs to Pakistan. Manav Taneja, a clearing agent, said the shortage of rail wagons would trouble the exporters more in coming days as export season of items like soyabean, tyres and tubes would pick up in August.

Earlier, at a meeting between exporters and Shelly Srivastava, Deputy Chief Commercial Manager, Railways, the latter said 10 cargo wagons would be regularly attached with the Samjhauta Express so as to clear the backlog of export consignments that had piled up at the rail cargo facility in Amritsar. She had also assured them that the Railways would try to facilitate wagons in goods trains as well.