Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 18: The traders in Kashmir valley today protested against State and Central Governments for failing to rehabilitate the flood victims and traders.
The members of State Economic Reconstruction Forum (SERF), an amalgam of traders bodies formed after floods, this afternoon marched on the Residency Road in the City Center here upto Lal Chowk against what they said Governments’ failure to provide relief and rehabilitation to the people.
Holding banners and chanting anti-Government slogans, the SERF said: “we are here to expose the Government’s failure in undertaking relief and rehabilitation operations after the last month’s floods.”
Shakeel Qalander, one of the SERF members said that State’s economy is down by Rupees one trillion but both the Central and State Governments are insensitive to the problems of people.
“Over a month has passed and winter has set-in, we have seen nothing from the Government of India. “Why is Government insensitive to the problems of common man,” he asked. “We are not begging, we demand compensation,” he added.
Qalander added that Government should inform them about the steps being taken for rehabilitation and compensation of flood victims.
Sheikh Ashiq who heads the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries said that six weeks have passed since floods hit the Valley but no rehabilitation process has been started yet. “We demand immediate rehabilitation of traders affected by the recent floods. Also those who had lost their homes should be rehabilitated immediately,” he said.
Muhammad Yaseen Khan lashed out at the Central Government and said that it was ‘shameful’ on the part of Central Government to maintain silence about the rehabilitation of traders and people who have lost their homes due to the floods.
Khan also asked what Government is doing about those who are not insured. “Only 40 percent traders are insured, what about the 60 percent people who have no insurance,” he asked.
Another member Muhammad Sidiq Bakal said that it is ‘shameful’ that Government has no policy regarding traders, horticulture sector, agriculture or housing which were badly impacted during the floods.
SERF demanded that the assessment of all losses in all sectors should be done in close collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank through the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) as was done in the case of Uttarakhand. The SERF has also demanded a ten year Income Tax exemption for Kashmir valley.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
