STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana led-delegation of the representatives of protesting shopkeepers and others of Nai Basti area here today called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and appealed to him for taking a sympathetic view to the genuine demand of the people, who were looking upto him for succour.
The Lieutenant Governor was very sympathetic to the demands of these aggrieved shopkeepers and assured them that the government’s intention has always been and will be to protect the interests of the poor and those who are underprivileged, said Devender Singh Rana after the meeting.
While making a fervent appeal to the Lieutenant Governor on behalf of the affected shopkeepers, Devender Rana said that the Nai Basti Shopkeepers have been running their establishments and deriving sustenance for the past six to seven decades in the area.
He said their ancestors were also carrying on small businesses from these establishments and therefore their relocation will hugely affect their families. In all, 39 establishments are coming under the widening drive, he added.
Rana expressed gratitude to Lt. Governor for his gracious gesture of giving a patient hearing to the aggrieved traders as also reassuring them while they were in distress. He said Manoj Sinha has always pro-actively acted in favour of the people to redress their genuine demands.
The Lieutenant Governor assured the delegation that their demands would be examined at appropriate level and efforts would be made to ensure that their sustenance is not affected.
The delegation comprised of Pawan Singh Ex-Corporator, Naveen Gupta, Bazar President, Gurpreet Dogra, Shiv Kumar, Tarsem Lal, Sanjay Gupta, Vivek Kumar, Raj Singh, Sham Lal, Vikas Verma, Jaivinder Singh, Dinesh Kumar Raina, Rakesh Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Vikrant Sharma and others.
Meanwhile, on second day of protest, former Deputy Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta and senior BJP leader, Vikram Randhawa visited the venue and extended full support of the cause of shopkeepers. They demanded the J&K administration led by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to rehabilitate the shopkeepers of Nai Basti in Satwari area affected by widening of National Highway (NH), which is being done as a part of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway project.