Families preparing for weddings in Kashmir breathed a sigh of relief as mutton dealers called off their strike on Friday after the Punjab government reportedly withdrew the levy on livestock transiting through the state.
The dealers had halted imports from states such as Rajasthan and Delhi and stopped sales to protest the imposition of the “illegal” levy on trucks carrying livestock through Punjab. The dealers claimed that contractors in Punjab were charging them ₹10,000 per truck and harassing them if they refused to pay.
The 11-day strike caused a shortage of mutton here. The decision to end the strike will pave the way for the resumption of livestock supplies to Kashmir. The strike was threatening to rob Kashmiri weddings of their iconic centrepiece — wazwan — a traditional multi-course meat-based meal.
Khazir Mohammad Regoo, president of the Kashmir Mutton Dealers Association, said shops resumed sales on Friday after they called off the strike. “The move followed the decision of the Punjab government to end the imposition of the illegal levy. They accepted it was illegal as our stocks were only transiting through their state,” Regoo said.
“We had sent a delegation to Punjab to meet top officials there. They said the order has been issued, although we have not received the copy so far.”
The Punjab government did not comment on the issue.
Regoo said the trucks carrying livestock that were stuck on roads had begun entering Kashmir, while fresh stock would be loaded shortly. “We have conveyed to all truck owners to resume transporting livestock to Jammu and Kashmir from other parts of the country,” he said.