Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 8: Traders in mountainous district of Shopian in South Kashmir today staged a sit-in protest in favour of their demands and accused Government of ignoring the district.
The traders under the banner of Traders Federation assembled in Gool Chowk and held peaceful sit-in. The traders have presented series of demands before the Government.
Ghulam Nabi Turray, the president of the local Traders Federation, told Excelsior that it seems the Shopian district is being “deliberately ignored” by the successive regimes.
Elaborating, he said the traders want Mini-Secretariat should be relocated from Sofanaman, which is around 2.5 kilometers from the district headquarters, to “feasible and accessible” location. The traders’ body president said that the building is inaccessible for the general public.
He said that another demand of the traders is that the “world class” tourist destinations along Mughal Road should be handed over to Shopian district administration for development. “We have reports that the Government has connected these destinations to Kulgam district,” he said.
The traders’ body is also demanding a district hospital for Shopian. He said at present there are only 7 specialists for 3 lakh residents and at night only two doctors remain available in the local hospital “Besides, there are other demands including soil testing lab and Reshnagri Bridge over Vaishaw stream,” he said.
During the sit-in protest, the shops were open in the town on the directions of Traders Federation.
Turray said the Shopian district generates huge revenue for the Government with its apple orchards and timber trade. “But, we fail to understand why we are being ignored,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Traders Federation has called for four day shut down in Shopian district spanning from August 11 to 15 in favour of their demands next month.
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