Govt silence on compensation to flood-hit traders criminal: Bukhari
‘Disburse interim compensation without any further delay’
Expressing serious concern over the plight of flood-hit families and traders who are yet to be rehabilitated and have not received any interim monetary compensation from the government, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader Syed Altaf Bukhari Friday called upon the administration to expedite disbursement of relief cheques among such families and the distressed traders.
In a statement issued here, Bukhari said most of the flood-hit families and traders have been left to face miseries as the post-flood-rehabilitation work was going on at ‘snail’s pace’.
He observed that the traders who have lost their shops and stocks are facing pressing times for want of monetary assistance from the government in order to re-start their businesses. “The business community is in shambles and the government seems least bothered about their revival and post-flood rehabilitation,” Bukhari remarked.
He said that it seems derisive that the government has maintained a criminal silence over payment of monetary compensation in favour of the flood-hit traders even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise of extending every possible help to them.
“It is not the question of the revival of the shattered business community only but it is the question of survival for thousands of people whose livelihood depends on the private business sector in the Valley. Delaying the compensation to flood affected business community means compounding their problem each passing day,” Bukhari stressed.
“Lack of insurance claims should not be an excuse before the government to leave the flood-hit traders high and dry,” Bukhari said, while stressing on the administration to immediately expend interim monetary reimbursements in favour of flood affected traders until a final call is taken on their full compensation.
The PDP senior leader said the administration seems to have slept over the desolation and obscurity explicitly visible in flood affected areas of Srinagar especially the Amirakadal constituency. He said the authorities have not even bothered to complete the assessment of damages caused to a huge number of traders associated with the Godowns Association, City Vendors Association and the shopkeepers association.
Reiterating his demand for a minimum of Rs 5 lakh interim compensation to be given to each flood affected shopkeeper and Rs 25,000 per acre be given to each affected apple grower, Bukhari said the huge damages caused to the state economy including business community, hotels, restaurants, carpet industry, handicrafts, papier mache, grocery, printing, agriculture and horticulture must be compensated without any delay.
He said that there is a dire need for implementation of relief measures that were announced by the banks like restructuring of loans and advances by sanction of additional credit facilities at a concessional rate of interest, conversion of part of existing working capital facilities into working capital term loan, extension of repayment period with moratorium and funding of interest on existing credit facilities.
Referring to the pathetic condition of the homeless families who have been forced to spend the chilly winter far from their dwellings, the PDP leader emphasized on a need to provide the shelter sheds to such families without any further delay.
