Ahmedabad/Surat: Textile traders across Gujarat including in their hub Surat have shut their establishments from today as part of the three day pan India strike of the textile industry to protest against the 5% GST and other provision of the new tax regime.

Around 175 markets in Surat are completely shut and over 75000 traders associated with the textile Industry are on strike.

The convenor of Surat Textile Sangarsh Samiti, Tarachand Kasat said that there should clarity on tax imposition. The process should be made simple and the provision to file 3 returns a month should be done away with. The online tax return filing for traders of the industry in which literacy was low was a big hassle. The strike would continue till June 29 after which depending upon situation and government’s stand, an indefinite all-India strike might start from July 1.

Textile merchants in Rajkot, Ahmedabad and other parts of the state also observed bandh today.

The textile industry has threatened for an indefinite strike from July one if their demands were not fulfilled.

The textile traders in Surat has also organized a bandh on the issue on June 24.

Notably, a pan India bandh of textile industry was also organized on the issue on June 15 during which the Textile merchants in Rajkot, Ahmedabad and other parts of the state had also observed bandh.

A loss of over 500 crores owing to the strike in Gujarat is estimated.

DeshGujarat