Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 18: Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCI) Jammu today urged the Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta for completely unlocking Jammu and restoring normal business activity as the COVID-19 cases have been receded considerably.
In a meeting held here today at Chamber House Jammu, Arun Gupta (president CCI) said that the business community of the region is passing through the worst ever time of their entire life due to extreme financial crunch faced on account of continuous lockdowns and prevailing uncertainty. He said to save the businessmen of Jammu, there is dire need that the partial lockdown which is in force these days should be lifted henceforth so that the trading fraternity picks up the pieces and once again start their life bit by bit.
The CCI president made a fervent appeal for considering their demand of waiving off electricity bills and also giving moratorium to the traders, so that they can get some respite from the mounting financial hardships which they are confronting right now.
He said that expenses of the traders are standing tall but the income is nowhere in the scene making their position topsy-turvy. “Only Government can bail us out from this tough situation which we are facing without any fault of ours,” said Arun Gupta. He further demanded that hotels and restaurants be allowed to function with 50 per cent capacity with the extending time up to 10 PM.
Gupta made a fervent appeal before the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and J&K Housing Board to take a considerate view and let go last month’s rent of shops and other business establishments given on lease to the trader community in various markets and malls in the region.
He hoped that in the next COVID SOPs, Chief Secretary would take adequate steps to restore normalcy in Jammu as soon as possible to rejuvenate business activity which was snarled after the imposition of corona curfew in wake of second wave of COVID-19.
Anil Gupta (senior vice-president), Rajeev Gupta (junior vice-president), Gaurav Gupta (secretary general), Rajesh Gupta (secretary) and Rajesh Gupta (treasurer) were also present in the meeting.