Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 18: Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) today strongly reacted to the issuance of SRO-472 dated November 16 by the Labour and Employment Department, seeking the closure of shops and establishments on various days of the week and termed it “regressive, unwarranted and unfair for a variety of reasons”.
The KCCI president Javed Ahmad Tenga said that “since the business establishments were an impacted party to the SRO with their livelihood being at stake, it would have been in the interest of natural justice that their viewpoint was taken into account beforehand”. “Secondly, as a matter of their right, any new law or any amendment to any existing law has to be initiated only after a notice about the proposal is given out in the public domain and the public is given appropriate time to respond and debate,” he said.
Tenga said that on merits, the closure of shops on different weekdays is itself a step which contradicts the stated focus of the Government for ease of doing business and disregards the disturbed conditions prevalent in the Valley. “The department cannot shut it eyes towards the number of days the shops and establishments of Srinagar are closed down due to the disturbed conditions. It is submitted that whereas progressive thinking states are considering proposals for 24 x 7 business operations, we are being pushed backwards”, he added.
“That the department has ordered closure of shops and establishments on the tourist circuit of Dalgate, Nishat, Harwan,Sonwar etc on Sundays – which is normally the peak day of business for these shops and establishments – is baffling. It is also surprising that the Government has chosen to start this experiment from Srinagar province in winters just after the Durbar Move,” he said.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry is presently studying the SRO and would come out with a detailed response soon, he said. “In the meantime, the State Government is urged to keep the SRO in abeyance so that unnecessary interruptions are not forced on the business establishments without taking our viewpoint and the prevalent conditions of the Valley into consideration,” said Tenga.
The Chamber president appealed to the owners of shops and business establishments in Srinagar city to act with restraint and not get provoked by any rumours in this regard.
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