Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 7: Former president, Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), Y V Sharma has urged upon the Government to provide special stimulus package to the traders and industrialists and exempt power bills and loan installments of these people during the period of lockdown.
In a press statement here today, Sharma said that most of the industries and business establishments are practically closed for almost 50 days. The tourist industry, transport, hotel and restaurants, entertainment centers, malls, salons, construction activity, confectionery, parlours, business dealing in general items are totally out of gear. Thousands of labourers of these business houses and MSME’s and daily labourers and wage earners are almost on the brink of starvation. Even the owners of small business establishments have suffered huge losses on account of the long lockdown.
It is also true that most of the business activity runs with the help of loans from the banks, NBFC and private sources. The payment of interests and other fixed expenditures of these establishments depends on recurring sales. Most of the traders have incurred unforeseen losses for closing down their establishments for such a long time. The administration has instructed not do away with the services of their employees and to pay them regular salaries through out the lockdown. It is becoming impossible for them to abide by these instructions.
The Government is therefore, requested that pending electricity bills, the repayment of loan installments, payment of taxes, rents and other liabilities should be totally exempted for the period of total lockdown.
Sharma also appealed to the Govt to give incentives and stimulus packages to make for the losses already incurred and restructure their activities afresh. He also urged the Govt to plan a road map for enabling all these activities in a phased manner without compromising with the needs of defeating the virus.
He said COVID-19 pandemic is an unexpected bolt from the blue which impacted un-precedently almost everyone in the society and the common man has no one else to bank upon than the Govt. Sharma hoped that the united efforts of all the people of the country will definitely succeed to ride over the crisis and the Govt of the people will not spare any effort for the purpose.
Follow our WhatsApp channel