*Authorities still undecided on extension
Vikas Sharma
JAMMU, Jan 15: Despite the expiry of lease period of shops in the Narwal Fruit Mandi two years back, the authorities concerned are undecided over extending the lease.
Due to expiry of the lease period, the banks are refusing to give credit to the traders and insurance companies have also stopped to insure their food stuffs. Not extending the lease period of shops has been irking the traders in Narwal Mandi.
The shops were allotted to them on a lease period of 40 years and now the lease of their shops needs to be renewed by J&K Horticulture Department, Planning and Marketing by duly extending the tenure of the original lease.
“The process of extending the lease of our shops was continuing till 2015 but after that the Government discontinued the process, without citing any reason to the shopkeepers. With the result, many shops in the Fruit Mandi complex are running their business without getting the extension from the department concerned,” informed a trader at the Narwal Fruit Mandi.
According to the details available with the Excelsior, the Government setup around 500 shops in four phases in Narwal Mandi. In the first phase, there are shops in vegetable Mandi while in remaining three phases the shops are located in Fruit Mandi.
The owners of 115 shops in first phase of Fruit Mandi, are running their businesses in losses as the lease of their shops had expired in 2021 and 2022. Now they are running from pillar to post to get the renewal of the lease of their shops. The lease of remaining shops is also going to expire in next couple of years, but the authorities are still undecided on extending it.
“The motive behind setting up of Fruit and Vegetable Mandi at Narwal was to help the farmers by felicitating the sale of their agriculture production by the shopkeepers here. But when the shopkeepers are badly struggling due to the losses, then how will they help the farmers?” asked Raman Kumar Sharma, another trader.
In 1982, the Government after shifting the shops from Sabzi Mandi, Parade and Fruit Mandi, Jewel area had setup the Narwal Mandi and the traders were allotted the shops there. The traders after taking loans from various banks started their business.
When contacted, Deputy Director, Horticulture Department, Marketing and Planning, Ayaz Ahmed Natune, told the Excelsior, “We are also concerned about the issues which the traders at Narwal Fruit Mandi are facing after expiry of the lease of their shops.”
“Due to some unavoidable reasons, their issue lingered on for a long time, but it would be solved soon. The issue is on our top priority and we are working to sort it out. After ending of the lease period we are trying to formulate a unified policy in favour of these traders, so that they continue to run their businesses without any hindrance,” he said.
“I want to make it clear to the traders at Narwal Fruit Mandi, that within some days their long pending issue would be resolved, as this is our duty,” he maintained.
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