Mohinder Wazir

Jammu, Sept 20 (KNS): Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCC&I) president, Arun Gupta on Monday urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government to protect local trade and business in Jammu region, while stating that opening of over 100 Reliance retail outlets in Jammu would hit local trade in the region badly.

Notably, JCC&I has given a bandh call on September 22 against the opening of over 100 outlets of Reliance in the Jammu region. Gupta stated that the call has been given with a view that the decisions being taken by the UT administration not only hit the trade body badly but the general public as well. 

Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Gupta said that people of Jammu always stood against Article 370 and article 35-A for the purposes of J&K's integration with the Union of India, but several decisions announced and implemented in the last two years have hit the trade in Jammu region more severely than ever before. 

Questioning the implementation of passenger tax in Jammu and Kashmir Gupta said that if passenger tax is not imposed in any other state or union territory of the country, why it has been imposed in J&K only. 
 
Terming the opening of Reliance trade outlets, a big blow to trade and employment in the Jammu region, Gupta demanded immediate roll back of the decision of allowing opening of over 100 reliance retail outlets in Jammu. 

He also raised several questions on new liquor trade policy and sand mining policy of J&K Government and said that trade in Jammu and Kashmir has become a casualty and more so in Jammu region after August 5, 2019 decisions of the central government on the erstwhile J&K state. 

Gupta said that till J&K remains a UT the disturbances in trade and other public activities would continue to haunt the people of Jammu and Kashmir one way or the other way. 

Stating that early restoration of statehood is a must for the smooth functioning of trade and business in Jammu and Kashmir, Gupta also demanded early restoration of statehood which he says is mother of all solutions to growing public woes in the UT. (KNS)