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| Owners of 20,000 shops yet to get compensation after being decimated in Sept 2014 flood | | Previous state government, insurance companies rub salt to wounds of affected traders | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Jan 18 : More than one fifth of the shops in the summer capital and other places of the state were virtually decimated during the September 2014 flood and the owners of these shops are yet to get compensation from the state government or the insurance companies.
A survey carried out by Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) and Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) has pointed out that 20,000 shops out of the total of 1, 00,000 shops were virtually razed to ground in the flood last year in Kashmir. The survey pointed out that most of these shops were of the small traders and they are yet to get any compensation. "Out of the total of the one lakh shops twenty thousand shops were virtually decimated due to the flood. The biggest irony is that nobody has come forward to help these people despite the fact that they are living from hand to mouth since the devastating flood," said the survey.
It was the same survey which was quoted by a delegation of KEA and KTMF while attending a meeting convened by Governor Narendra Nath Vohra here on Saturday. During the meeting KEA Chairman, Mohammed Yaseen Khan apprised the Governor of the hardships and sufferings faced by the people of Kashmir in general and the business fraternity in particular after the devastating flood.
The KEA Chairman informed the Governor that out of the one lakh shops affected in floods 20,000 shops which are mostly of small traders, have been completely decimated. He said the affected shopkeepers have still not been compensated till date and the business fraternity is waiting for the same.
"The business fraternity is also eagerly waiting for the approval by the Central Government of the 44,000 crore rehabilitation package submitted by the state government immediately after the flood. The package would certainly give some relief to the business fraternity who are till date deprived of any compensation under the prevailing scheme of State Disaster Rapid Fund (SDRF)," said Yaseen. The KEA Chairman requested that small shopkeepers may also be compensated under SDRF scheme of the state. He expressed regret over the alleged insensitive attitude of the Income Tax department by sending notices to the victims of the natural disaster. He insisted upon a waiver of VAT amount of the second quarter 2014-2015 due to be deposited by January 31, 2015. "There is a need for the deferment of filing VAT returns for the 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2014-2015 upto March 31, 2015. It would be in tune to instruct agencies and departments like Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) and Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) to facilitate issuance of building permissions of shops and business establishments damaged in the recent floods in a fast and hassle free manner," said Yaseen.
During the meeting Vice-Chairman KEA, Mohammad Iqbal Trumboo requested the Governor to make the winter secretariat functional. He said that at least one Commissioner Secretary (by rotation) should be present in Kashmir during the winter months with specific instructions to meet the people of the valley in order to redress their grievances.
Iqbal requested the Governor to vigorously pursue the state government's rehabilitation package of 44000 crores with the central government. He also urged the Governor to take up various issues like allocation of ration to Jammu and Kashmir which is presently made as per the census 2001. |
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