Pune gains sheen as jewellers lift strike

Jewellery shops on Laxmi Road opened on Sunday after a 21-day strike. The association of jewellers has suspended the strike till May 9 after finance minister P Chidambaram assured them to look into their demands.

However, if the demands are not met, the jewellers would resort to agitation after May 9.

Jewellers’ associations from all parts of the country had been on a strike since March 17 to protest against the finance minister’s decision to impose 1% excise duty on unbranded jewellery and to double the import duty to 4% on gold.

Fatechand Ranka, chairman Maharashtra Saraf Association, said that jewellers met the finance minister on Sunday and had a two-hour meeting explaining their demands to him. The finance minister assured them that he would take their demands to the parliament and has promised them that all their problems will be resolved.

The strike has been suspended taking the finance minister’s assurance into account. However, they have decided that if the demands are not met, they would restart the strike.