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| Omar's inauguration of shopping complexes may boomerang as shopkeepers' voice concern over rehabilitation plan | | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Aug 5 : Inauguration of the two shopping complexes by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah for the displaced shopkeepers of Jehangir Chowk and adjoining areas is likely to boomerang as a good chunk of shopkeepers have voiced their concern over the rehabilitation plan.
Sharing their views with Early Times, a group of shopkeepers said that they will lose out on the business since the customers would not visit their relocated places of business. The shopkeepers accused Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) and the state government of drawing the rehabilitation plan in a hush hush manner with taking them into confidence.
"The shopkeepers selling daily basic things like vegetables, milk, bread, meat and chicken would be the worst sufferers. We cannot expect people to walk a good distance and then get their items of choice from the shopkeepers selling items of daily use in the shopping complexes. As such the business interests of these shopkeepers would be badly hit and they might be forced to shut down their business," said the shopkeepers.
It would be in place to mention here that shopkeepers had shot an electronic mail (email) to Asian Development Bank while raising their concern over the rehabilitation plan. The ADB had asked ERA to ensure that the rehabilitation plan is feasible and also acceptable to the displaced shopkeepers. The shopkeepers had also approached the court while seeking redressal of their grievances. "The ADB had assured us that our concerns would be addressed in a proper manner and there would be no compromise on this issue. But the urgency shown by ERA in the construction of the two shopping complexes proves that there is something fishy in this whole affair. This needs to be probed so that the things become clear," said the shopkeepers. The shopkeepers said that they met chief minister many times and other higher ups many times and apprised them of the problems. They added that their repeated pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears and that their families might be forced to starve. "At least three big shopping malls and hotel have come up on the road from Jehangir Chowk to Rambagh in the recent past. Nobody touched these people as they are the big guns and they run the political system in the state more so Kashmir. The shopkeepers who cannot raise their voice had to face the brunt and they will have to suffer for times to come," said the shopkeepers. The shopkeepers demanded that the three shopping malls and the hotel should be demolished before they are shifted to the shopping complexes at Jehangir Chowk and Rambagh. They threatened of an agitation in case their demands are not met and they are forced to shift to their new business premises. Pertinently, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today in the afternoon inaugurated the two shopping complexes at Jehangir Chowk and Rambagh. The shopping complexes would house more than 300 shopkeepers who are going to be displaced by the construction of Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover. The shopping complexes have come up at a cost of around 100 crores and they have the parking facility of around 200 cars. |
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