Lucknow, April 13 (IANS): Jewellery shops across Uttar Pradesh opened on Wednesday after remaining shut for 43 days as part of a nation-wide strike against the imposition of excise duty.
UP Sarrafa Association leader Ravindra Nath Rastogi said all shops and showrooms would remain open till April 24, the deadline set by the central government to study their demands.
Pradeep Kumar Agarwal, general secretary of the Lucknow Sarrafa
Association, warned that if Finance Minister Arun Jaitley refused to roll back the decision, they will strike work again from April 25.
The jewellers say they are ready to pay additional 1 percent tax on VAT instead of excise duty.
They are also opposed to maintaining extra registers detailing each item, paying additional tax on remake of old jewellery and inspection of manufacturing retail units.