| Illegal rerhiwallas, kiosk owners making hay at will | | Tea @ Rs 30, Toast @ Rs 75; MCK snoozes | | Ajay Sharma
Early Times Report
Katra, Jan 19: Katra Township is faced up with many felonies, despite being the holy destination for crores of pilgrims thronging the sanctum sanctorum round the year.
Given such huge rush of pilgrims, the authorities in the holy township are sleeping over many issues, overcharging of commodities by corrupt sellers, being one of it.
A cup of tea that costs Rs 7-8 under normal circumstances is charged at Rs 20-Rs 25 by the illegal kiosk owners who have expanded their illegal business at large under the very nose of then administration. Since there is no check on the mushrooming of the rehri wallas and kiosks owners in the town. The business is flourishing giving hard times to the out of state pilgrims.
Ramesh, Vinay and Jogi, the pilgrims from Rajasthan who descended the gholly mountain in the late evening to catch a cab for Jammu railway station as their return journey was due forSunday were treated to sell astronomical amount by a rehri wala who served them three cups of tea and three butter toasts.
" We were asked by the kiosk attendant to pay Rs 310 for three teas and three toast. And when we enquired about the rates he put a cup of tea to Rs 30 each and butter toast to Rs 75 each ," said aghast trio. They aid since it was Sunday, and the offices were closed, they were not able to list the grievance with the Muncipal Committee Katra.
It is pertinent to mention here that Municipal Katra has issued only 65 legal licenses to the rehriwalas while nearly 500 small and big kiosks and reharies have been installed in the town, with MC being nonchalant.
The Enforcement Officer, MC Katra Chuni Lal when approached, he expressed his helplessness to deal with the situation,.
"Whenever we round up any such rehari wala, we are approached by nearly four influential persons and we have to let go the criminal. This has become a routine matter in the town," he said.
Chuni Lal however assured that MC is contemplating to make a special committee to look into the irregularities and sooner the illegal sellers would be pounced upon and all their illegal licenses cancelled,
Till such committee comes into force, it is all probability that the customers and the pilgrims thronging the holy venue would be duped and cheated by the corrupt practice of the commodities seller with nobody to rein n them, allege Ramparas the local vendor , having a valid license to run a kiosk at Katra. |
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