Jammu, Sep 21 :The Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Jammu—the traders body spearheading the day-long ‘Jammu bandh’ on Wednesday Today appealed to the people to observe the shutdown in a peaceful manner.
The CCI Jammu has given a bandh call against setting up of 100 new Smart Points of a private player in the region besides other issues.
Arun Gupta, President CCI Jammu on Tuesday said that despite repeated attempts by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the government has not paid any heed to the demands of the local business fraternity. Therefore, keeping in mind the phlegmatic attitude of the ruling class CCI appeals to its esteemed members to show solidarity and make Jammu bandh on Wednesday a great success by observing complete shutdown peacefully.
He expressed gratitude to all the traders and market associations, social as well as political organizations for extending full support to the Chamber’s Jammu bandh call.
Mr Gupta appealed to the members of all the associations and organizations to observe Jammu bandh peacefully and desist from doing any act which has potential to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of Jammu.
Meanwhile in a statement issued, Jammu wing of J&K High Court Bar Association president M K Bhardwaj also extended support to the strike stating, “the people of Jammu are united on all issues which affect the common man.”
“We will not tolerate injustice and discrimination with Jammu region and continue our peaceful agitation to safeguard the interests of the people,” Mr Bhardwaj said.
He hoped that Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and his administration would take note of the problems being faced by lawyers, traders, businessmen, farmers, unemployed youth besides the civic and infrastructural deficiencies in Jammu region and address the same to make life easier for the people.
Earlier, Jammu Kashmir National Panthers Party, National Conference, Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Apni Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Sarv Shakti Sanstha, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party extended full support to the bandh call.
Meanwhile, traders and Apni Party activists on Tuesday staged protests evoking widespread support from opposition parties, lawyers and various social groups.
A group of traders under the banner of Warehouse Traders Federation staged a peaceful protest at Nehru Market here against the opening of a chain of smart stores.
Federation president Deepak Gupta, on the occasion, said all shopkeepers would observe a complete strike on Wednesday to convey a message to the government that “we are not happy with the policy decision taken in closed rooms without consulting stakeholders”.
Activists of the Apni Party, which had already extended its support to the strike call, also staged a demonstration at Gandhi Nagar market against the proposed opening of stores.
The protest was held by the Apni Trade Union and it concluded peacefully, officials said.
J&K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said the party fully supports the bandh call on the burning issues which is bound to wipe out small and middle class traders.
Meanwhile amid the ongoing protest over the opening of Reliance Retail stores, the company on Tuesday said “the talk of 100 stores being opened by us is completely untrue”.
“We have not opened any stores in Jammu. We have a few delivery points in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and these are set up by our delivery partners to support the small traders,” a spokesperson of Reliance Retail said.
She said Reliance has a long track record of supporting small traders and “we remain steadfast in our commitment of partnering with small merchants”.
The CCI Jammu has expressed anguish over the discrimination with traders of Jammu region by the government.
Issues including New Excise Policy and closure of liquor bars, banquet halls, scrapping of annual Darbar Move exercise, debarring of Mahajan, Khatri , Sikhs and Jains communities from purchasing agricultural lands in J&K, policy adopted by the Geology and Mining Department with regard to allotment of mining and extraction contracts are the issues being raised by the Jammu Chamber.(UNI)