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Raise traders’ rehabilitation with Union Fin Minister: Bukhari appeals Governor
Srinagar, January 24,(Scoop News)-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader and MLA Elect Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has expressed serious concern over the awful financial strain being faced by traders community who are yet to come to terms after the September floods last year.
In a statement issued here, Bukhari invited Honb’le Governor N.N Vohra’s attention towards the plight of thousands of flood hit traders in Valley, appealing his Excellency to take up issue of traders’ rehabilitation with the union finance ministry on priority basis. The PDP senior leader said that the floods have not only destroyed the economic edifice in Kashmir but has also created a vacuum in the job sector which has further aggravated the unemployment crisis in the state.
“Not only the traders’ community has been deprived of the ex gratia amount sofar but there has been no assessment of losses in the commercial sector which is a matter of serious concern,” Bukhari said while demanding a comprehensive survey of losses suffered by the traders’ community without any further delay.
The MLA Elect observed that the traders who have lost their shops and stocks are facing pressing times for want of monetary assistance from the government in order to re-start their shattered businesses. “The business community is in shambles and the central government seems least bothered about their revival and post flood rehabilitation,” Bukhari remarked.
He said the union government must honour the commitment made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of extending every possible help to the traders community that has been hit by the floods in Kashmir. “It is not the question of the revival of the shattered business community only but it is the question of survival of thousands of people especially the youth whose livelihood depends on the private business sector in the Valley. Delaying the compensation to flood affected traders’ community means compounding their problems by each passing day,” Bukhari stressed.
Reiterating his demand for a minimum of Rs 5 Lakh interim compensation to be given to each flood affected shopkeeper, Bukhari said the huge damages caused to the state economy including business community, hotels, restaurants, carpet industry, handicrafts, papier mache, grocery, printing, agriculture and horticulture must be compensated proportionately without any delay.
He said that there is a dire need for implementation of relief measures that were announced by the banks like restructuring of loans and advances by sanction of additional credit facilities at a concessional rate of interest, conversion of part of existing working capital facilities into working capital term loan, extension of repayment period with moratorium and funding of interest on existing credit facilities.
Terming sales tax department directive seeking stock statements from flood hit traders as extremely irrational and bereft of any logic Bukhari said that the traders have lost their shops, stocks, stores and godowns in September floods and how come it was possible that their stock statements would have survived the disaster that destroyed everything. “The sales tax department must deal with the flood hit traders as a special case and last date for filing of quarterly sales tax by flood hit traders across Kashmir should be also deferred at least by a month,” he demanded.
Referring to the damages suffered by the hoteliers in Kashmir, Bukhari said that hundreds of hotels had one storey of the building under flood water, which caused huge damages to their furnishings, linen and other equipments. “Soft loans to the flood hit hotels, houseboats and guest houses for repairs and renovations must be worked out on priority so that they can restart their commercial activities before the next tourist season,” Bukhari stressed.
He demanded special grants proportionate to the business losses suffered by various categories of the Hotels and guest houses operating in Srinagar. The MLA Elect also invited Honb’le Governor’s attention towards the permissions needed for repair and renovation of hotels presently banned by the Honb’le High Court.
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