Govt not concerned about flood-hit traders, says PDP

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 19

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader Syed Altaf Bukhari on Friday stressed upon the administration to expedite disbursement of relief cheques among flood-hit families and distressed traders.

Addressing a workers’ meeting here, Bukhari said most of the flood-hit families and traders had been left to face miseries due to the snail’s pace post-flood rehabilitation work.

Bukhari observed that the traders who had lost their shops and stocks were facing pressing times for want of monetary assistance from the government in order to restart their businesses.

“The business community is in a shambles and the government seems least bothered about their revival and post-flood rehabilitation,” a PDP spokesman while quoting Bukhari said.

He said it seemed derisive that the government had maintained a criminal silence over payment of monetary compensation in favour of the flood-hit traders even after the Prime Minister’s promise of extending every possible help to them. “It is not the question of the revival of the shattered business community, it is also the question of survival of thousands of people whose livelihood depends on the private business sector in the Valley. Delaying the compensation to flood-hit business community means compounding their problem every day,” he said.