Border tension hits Jammu business this festive season

The business in Jammu has seen a dip this festive season as consumers from the International Border and the Line of Control have not turned up for shopping due to continuous shelling and firing from across the border.
Goldsmiths and those selling silver ornaments and utensils in the town have already reported a dip in their business.
“It is not that our business depends on the purchases done by villagers only, but they are potential buyers and rural Jammu celebrates festivals like Dhanteras, Bhaiya Dooj and Diwali more religiously than urban consumers,” said Naresh Abrol of Abrol Jewellers at Dhounthly Bazaar in Jammu.
As Pakistan has been violating ceasefire on the border, villagers have been frequently getting displaced from their homes.
“Dhanteras, Diwali or Dusherra this year had nothing good in store for us. We lost some of our villagers and some security personnel also,” said Bhugti Ram, sarpanch of Chak Bhagwana village in Samba.
Shiv Kumar, the manager of Sain Sweet Shop in Jammu, said though villagers rarely come to Jammu city to purchase sweets, on Diwali, they are the major consumers as ‘brand sweets’ become the major attraction and are exchanged among friends and relatives. “We are likely to suffer some dent in the business,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the major losers on Diwali will be cracker sellers. Bari Brahmana, Hiranagar, Samba and Kathua are the major cracker selling towns in the Jammu region. Most of the vendors selling crackers in Jammu come from Samba and Kathua districts, which are witnessing border firing.
“Almost all border villagers have decided not to burst crackers in the wake of death and destruction by Pakistan firing. We are likely to suffer heavy losses in our business. Though the decision is genuine, our losses will be high,” said Tilak Raj, from RS Pura, who is a wholesale distributor of crackers.
“Rural consumers always remain the backbone of commerce of any state or region. On festivals, villagers throng the city and become the major purchasers which is missing this time due to border escalation,” said Rakesh Gupta, president, Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Jammu.