Demolition drive leaves 52 shopkeepers displaced in Tral

BASHARAT RASHID

Pulwama: Officials initiated an anti-encroachment drive,  demolishing at least fifty two shops in Tral sub-district of South Kashmir, leaving 52 shopkeepers displaced.

In the month of March 2020, a massive demolition drive was carried out inside the Bus Stand area of Tral amid tight security, razing all these shops to ground. The authorities on its part maintained that removal of demolition was necessary for expanding the space for the existing market of the bus stop.

The evicted shopkeepers were assured of help in immediate rehabilitation by the authorities. However, even after seven months, the shopkeepers have neither been rehabilitated nor any transitional arrangement being provided to settle the evicted traders.

Most of these shopkeepers are either sitting idle or have shifted from their main occupation, where they have taken up labor jobs on a daily basis,as they have no alternative left to feed their families. Few of them ‘have taken loans’ from the banks and have to pay back the liabilities.

The aghast shopkeepers recently staged a protest in the Tral sub-district near the bus stand impressing authorities to rehabilitate the displaced shopkeepers.

They were chanting slogans and said that the government left them jobless by demolishing fifty years old shops with tall claims to settle the shopkeepers.

A group of Shopkeepers in the protest rally have said that they have been constantly moving from pillar to post for redressal of their demand, but, “nothing is being done to  safeguard their rights, which is the matter of grave concern.”

Ghulam Rasool, who was running a vegetable shop in the main town has said that he has been moving from place to place for months to sell the vegetables and to feed the family. He said that selling vegetables is the only source for him to meet his needs.

“I was running a vegetable shop near Bus Stand Tral for a long time. The shop was demolished in a drive held in March, due to which I sell vegetables in nearby villages to feed my family. ,” Ghulam Rasool said.

Another Shopkeeper Javaid Ahmad Naik lamented that despite cooperating with the administration at the time of demolition, their demands of rehabilitation are yet to be fulfilled.

“We have cooperated with the admin at that time but they are showing no cooperation now. The advisor to LG has recently given directions of rehabilitating us, however, nothing in concrete has been done. We demand justice now,” he said.

Some of the shopkeepers have said that they have taken loan from the banks have to pay back all the liablities in a specific time.

“Many of us have taken a loan from the banks and have to pay back the liabilities in a specific time but, authorities have failed to rehabilitate us, after they demolished our shops. Now, we are being forced to work as laborers,” a shopkeeper said.

Trade Union of the sub district has been demanding the rehabilitation of these shopkeepers in a patch of horticulture land, which according to them is on the roadside and is “currently being used as a toilet.”

The union demanded that the said land should be transferred to Municipal Committee Tral, following which they ‘will construct the shops’ on their own and ‘rent to Municipal Committee’ of Tral sub-district.

“Government does not need to give even a single penny for the construction of shops ,as we will do it on our own. These shops will provide a walling to the Horticulture land behind it thereby save at least 30-40 lakh Rupees of the department,” a top trade union member said, adding that in the backdrop of this, it is requested that the affected shopkeepers may kindly be rehabilitated.

President Trade Union Tral, Ishfaq Ahmad Kar, has said that there is a dire need to rehabilitate all the victim shopkeepers, “as they are facing problems with each passing day.”

He said that many shopkeepers had kept the eatable items of their shops at home that went bad or expired, incurring a heavy loss on their pockets.

Fifty-two shopkeepers mean 52 families suffer on daily basis with no intervention from authorities, which is the matter of grave concern,” Kar said.

He further said that government particularly LG Manoj Sinha should look into the matter and ensure a better future for the evicted shopkeepers at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Tral, S.A. Raina has said that a DPR has been submitted to Chief Engineer, Roads & Buildings (R&B) department Kashmir, related to the matter.