*NC extends support
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 22: Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Jammu) and all Transport organizations besides all Hotel and Lodges Association Jammu have given Jammu bandh call on April 24 demanding AIIMS for Jammu.
Announcing this at a crowded press conference here today, Jammu Chamber president Rakesh Gupta and Chairman of apex body of All J&K Motor Transport Associations T S Wazir said that there will be complete bandh in Jammu on April 24 (Friday). They said the Coalition Government has not stopped injustice with the Jammu region. Many issues have remained unsolved despite repeated reminders and representations.
Mr Gupta said Chamber was not against the improving health care facilities in Kashmir but at the same time requests the Government of India to establish AIIMS at Jammu as already announced in media on March Ist, 2015. He said geographically Jammu destination suites for this Institute as people from parts of Himachal and Punjab will also be benefitted. One crore pilgrim tourists visit Mata Vaishno Devi and there is massive pressure on Jammu hospitals in time of need.
He said the Chamber members were feeling totally dejected after no relief was announced in the State Financial budget by the present Government and non-acceptance of genuine and logical demands mostly for uniformity of VAT Tax, Amnesty for GST recoveries and also no relief given to the tourism/ hotels industry.
Opposing recovery of heavy Toll Tax at Ban Talab on Jammu- Udhampur highway, the Chamber president demanded that there should be no Toll Tax for the passenger vehicles as mostly the route is used by the pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi and Amar Nath ji.
He said the Chamber also demands high level probe regarding the shelving of proposed flyover at Ambphalla to BC Road and also early completion of the already sanctioned projects of Gandola from Mubarak Mandi to Bahu Fort, Artificial lake on Tawi and Mubarak Mandi heritage site in Jammu. The Chamber also demands new parking spaces, commercial spaces and toilets throughout the city in the new master plan. He strongly demanded that the existing bus stand at B C Road be used as Interstate Bus Terminal with immediate effect.
The Chamber members announced complete bandh on Friday as a mark of protest against the manner in which the Government is working and not accepting its genuine demands. The Chamber appealed to all its members from trade, industry, hotels and transport to observe complete peaceful shut down on April 24, 2015. However, there will not be any restriction on few chemists shops for the convenience of the public.
Later, Chamber members along with other traders and transport body members also took out protest march on Shalamar Road and raised slogans against the Government. They appealed the traders of Jammu region to make bandh a grand success.
Meanwhile, National Conference Jammu province has supported the bandh call on April 24 given by Chamber of Commerce and Industry for setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the winter capital.
“While National Conference hails the establishment of AIIMS in the Kashmir valley, it calls for a similar facility in Jammu”, a spokesman said here this evening, adding that this has been a consistent demand of the party in and outside the State Legislature.
The spokesman hoped that the Centre will understand the sensitivity and requirement of AIIMS like institutions in both the divisions of the State and announce a similar facility in Jammu without losing time. Such a mechanism had been agreed by the NDA government while announcing two Central Universities for Jammu and Srinagar. “Same spirit is needed to be displayed by meeting overwhelming demand of the people of Jammu region”, he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel