Jammu, Sept 10: The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) on Thursday demolished around 20 shops at Satwari Chowk, triggering protests from affected shopkeepers who alleged that the decades-old commercial establishments were razed without prior notice.
The shopkeepers said the establishments had been operating at the site for nearly 50 years and claimed that they had been regularly paying rent to the municipal authorities.
They alleged that the demolition was carried out without adequate information or notice, leaving them little time to remove their belongings or make alternative arrangements.
The action has revived the long-pending issue of rehabilitation of shopkeepers affected by development works in the Satwari area. The UT Cabinet had earlier approved a rehabilitation and resettlement scheme for shopkeepers and open-space kiosks affected by road widening at Nai Basti and Satwari Chowk.
A JMC official said the affected shopkeepers would be relocated to an alternative site within six months.
However, the assurance failed to pacify the traders. The affected shopkeepers termed the claim a “white lie”, saying they had received similar assurances of rehabilitation in the past but were still facing uncertainty over their livelihoods.
The issue has repeatedly been raised by traders’ organisations, which have sought proper rehabilitation and alternate sites for those affected by development projects.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also stated in the past that the shopkeepers had been paying rent to the municipal authorities and had sought their rehabilitation.
The demolition at Satwari Chowk has once again brought the demand for a time-bound rehabilitation plan for affected traders into focus.
