Flyover construction: Traders protest ‘forced evacuation’

Our Correspondent

Srinagar, November 25

Traders in the city staged a protest today accusing the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) of forcing them to evacuate their shops ahead of a flyover construction without proper rehabilitation.

Traders staged a protest at the Hari Singh High Street this morning and demanded that they should be provided proper rehabilitation.

The executing agency, ERA, was in the process of evacuating many commercial and residential properties to facilitate the ongoing construction of the longest flyover in Kashmir connecting Jahangir Chowk with Rambagh in which many shopkeepers have already been evacuated from Solina.

The protesters, most of whom own shops in the nearby municipal building, claimed to have received a notice asking them to evacuate their shops within the next 48 hours. “We only got the notice. No agreement or understanding was made between the executing agency and the affected traders regarding their rehabilitation,” said one of the protesters. The demonstrators shut their shops and blocked the road which led to heavy traffic jam.

The traders who called it a “diktat and one- sided decision” have urged the executing agency to involve them in a proper negotiation process to reach a rehabilitation plan so that they should not suffer.

Faiz Ahmad Bakshi, president, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the only demand of the protesters was to suitably adjust them before forcing them to evacuate their shops.

“They want the officials to settle their issue of rehabilitation, which is genuine and should be done. But the officials are playing hide and seek with them,” he said.

Sheikh Usman Fazal, general secretary of the Hari Singh High Street Traders Association, said they were forced to protest as the ERA officials “did not pay heed to their demands” despite repeated attempts.

“They cannot ask a person to evacuate without him agreeing with the rehabilitation plan. They have deliberately issued this notice asking us to evacuate our shops within 48 hours. This is not genuine,” said Usman.

The traders urged Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to intervene and solve their issue. “We are not against the construction of the flyover. We just want that it should not be one-sided decision, but should do justice with us as well,” he said.