Guj jewellers seize golden chance, go on vacation

AHMEDABAD/SURAT: Marriage season and Chaitra Navratri make April one of the busiest months for jewellers. But this year, hundreds of jewellers from Gujarat have packed their bags to head for some exotic locations to unwind.
Out of work for over a month due to the indefinite strike over 1% excise levy, the jewellers are making most of this idle time to unwind with families.More than 100 jewellers from the city are either on vacation or have returned from their holidays much to the dismay of their protesting counterparts.
“Last week, 30 members of five jewellers' families returned from holidays in Rajasthan and some parts of Gujarat. Jewellers currently have free time and they are using these opportunity by going on vacations with their families,“ said, Manish Sharma, chairman, Tourism Development Society, Gujarat.
“Every year I used to miss out spending time with my kids during their post-exam holidays. Since the shops continue to remain closed, we took off for a short trip to Udaipur and Jodhpur," said an Ahmedabad-based jeweller.
Kalpesh Patel, another Ahmedabad-based tour operator said, “In the last two weeks, I have done bookings for around 7-8 jewellers and their families and friends for trips to Goa, Bangkok and Middle-east.“ Manish Patel, owner of Shreeram Jewellers in Surat returned from a 10day trip to Bangkok recently. “I knew that the strike was going to continue for long. So I decided to move out with friends for a long vacation,“ said Patel. Tour operators say the Goa, Dubai, Sharjah, Rajasthan and Bangkok are some of the favourite locations of the jewellers.
This, however, has not gone down well with those continuing the strike. A core committee member of Gujarat Jewellers Association said that the vacationing has irked fellow jewellers who continue to hold protests.
“It is during these times that we need to stand united. Not only some of the jewellers have gone for holidays, they are also posting pictures on social media. It affects the morale of small jewellers and traders who are finding it difficult to sustain themselves.“
Since March 2, more than 50,000 jewellers of the state have been protesting against 1% excise duty as well as mandatory quoting of PAN by customers for transaction of Rs 2 lakh and above. At the same time, losses by jewellers have crossed Rs 12,000 crore mark in the state as the strike entered into 42nd day on Monday.