Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Good response to trade bandh against VAT

By Our Staff Reporter

Rajahmundry March. 31. The Rajahmundry Chamber of Commerce observed a bandh on Monday protesting against the implementation of VAT in response to a call by the national leaders of trade associations. All shops on the main road remained closed and the area wore a deserted look. However business activity in other areas of the city remained, by and large, normal. Medical shops functioned normally.

Leaders of the Chamber including its president, Bommana Rajkumar, secretary, K. Santharam, and president of coastal district traders association, Routh Surya Prakasha Rao, and the former president of the Chambers and Corporator, Kollepalli Seshayya, organised a rasta roko at the entrance of road-cum-rail bridge for about an hour, resulting in disruption of traffic.

The bandh was also organised in other towns of the district like Kakinada, Amalapuram, Samalkota, Mandapeta. In Ramachandrapuram protesting traders organised a procession.

VISAKHAPATNAM: The bandh observed by the trade in response to a call by the Vizagapatnam Chamber of Commerce and Industries (VCCI) evoked a near-total response here on Monday.

Shops and establishments, cinema theatres and petrol bunks downed their shutters. The merchants and the employees engaged by them numbering around 2,000 took part in a rally from the TSR Complex and marched to the Collectorate via LIC Building, Dabagardens, Jagadamba junction and KGH Down.

Later a delegation led by the Vizagapatnam Cloth Merchants' Association VAT Committee chairman, T.C. Hirawat, submitted a memorandum to the District Collector, Sunil Sharma.

While the intentions of the Central and State Governments were not to create inconvenience to the consumers at large, the dealers would be put to great hardship by this measure if it came into effect, Mr. Hirawat stated in the memorandum. According to him, each and every dealer -- small, medium or large -- would have to maintain a plethora of records and compute and pay a meagre amount of tax every month. They have to file monthly returns to the Commercial Taxes Department which might lead to harassment.

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