Srinagar: The shopkeepers in Nagbal area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday observed a shutdown after they were asked to vacate their shops allegedly built on state land.
The shopkeepers while talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that there are around 400 shops in Nagbal market and as per almost all are on government land and they have been asked to vacate these shops within days.
They said vacating shops will lead to worklessness and a meager proportion of the population earning their livelihood will also become unemployed where the majority of educated youth are already unemployed.
Shopian has already faced problem as they suffered huge losses due to low demand of apple and if now shops, the only source of income, will be snatched, then there will be no option other than suicide before us, said one shopkeeper.
He said that Kashmir is already challenged by unemployment and if the livelihood of more people will be snatched, “it will put Kashmir in more darkness.”
Shopkeepers said that the government, especially LG Manoj Sinha, must look into it on humanitarian ground and revoke eviction orders immediately.
Government must take action against only those persons who have misused their power and grabbed land while poor people must be exempted as they must be allowed to earn their livelihood whether from shops or from agriculture/horticulture land, they said
Notably, shopkeepers in Keller town of Shopian also requested the administration to revoke eviction orders.
Traders Federation Bla seeks Govt intervention
Amid the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, the Traders Federation Baramulla in here has appealed to the government to exempt them from the drive, saying that the action against them would certainly affect their livelihood.
Addressing a press conference here in Baramulla, Traders Federation’s General Secretary, Tariq Ahmed Mugloo, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that they are ready to pay the rent and nominal charges for the shops and complexes.
He said that the government should consider its decision as the demolition drive would directly affect their livelihood.
Tariq said that they have completed all the formalities at a time when the shops and complexes were raised, but it is unfortunate that despite the passage of four decades, they are being asked to vacate as the land where the structures have come up is ‘state land’.
While pinning hope on the Lieutenant Governor led Administration in J&K, the traders said that they are expecting a favourable decision from the administration as the issue pertains to the livelihood of 400 families.
The appeal from the traders comes at a time when the government has started anti-encroachment drive and has made clear that the poor will be excluded and the administration will ensure that the livelihood of people will not get affected—(KNO)
