President KCC&I Sheikh Ashiq addresses presser in Srinagar – KO photo Abid Bhat
By Majid Nabi
Srinagar- Claiming that the ongoing anti-encroachment drive lacks transparency, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I) on Thursday urged the Lieutenant Governor administration to issue a formal order on its repeated assurance that poor people will not be touched.
Addressing journalists, President KCC&I, Sheikh Ashiq alleged that the ongoing eviction drive against the ‘possessors’ of state land has triggered a fresh wave of ‘chaos and confusion’ among masses in Kashmir.
He said the government should confine the eviction drive to influential people having encroached huge tracts of land and that the poor be spared on humanitarian grounds.
“There is chaos and confusion everywhere on the ground, ever since the government launched an eviction drive in Jammu and Kashmir. This drive affected everyone equally, be it the rich or poor. Since the LG is on record to say that poor masses will not be affected during the ongoing eviction drive, we urge him to issue a formal order in this direction to avoid confusion” Ashiq said.
He urged the administration to deal with chronic encroachers or land mafia with iron hands so that no ‘infringement’ takes place in future. He said the biz body never endorses encroachment and those having occupied state be dealt sternly.
He, however, said that there is no transparency in the ongoing drive and that the administration must bear in mind as to who has violated the law and who has not.
“Business community has suffered huge losses since the 2014 deluge. They are yet to overcome losses they incurred. We appeal to the LG to spare small business establishments from the ongoing drive as was promised by him,” he added.
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