JAMMU, Nov 11: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party Provincial Head Trade Union and Provincial Secretary, Ajaz Kazmi, today while addressing media persons made an earnest appeal to the government and administration to adopt a compassionate and humanitarian approach towards the victims of the devastating fires at Shiv Market near Jammu Railway Station and the Jammu Warehouse wholesale market, stressing that behind every burnt shop lies a family whose hopes, hard-earned savings and source of livelihood have been reduced to ashes.
Expressing deep concern over the plight of the affected traders, Kazmi said that the two tragic incidents have not merely destroyed commercial establishments but have pushed several families into uncertainty and financial distress. For many of these traders, their shops were not just business premises; they were the foundation of their family’s survival, the result of years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication.
“Every shop that has been gutted in these unfortunate incidents represents someone’s lifetime of savings, someone’s dreams and the future of an entire family. The pain of a trader who has lost everything cannot be measured merely in financial figures. Behind every loss are children whose education depends on their parents’ earnings, elderly family members who depend on them and household responsibilities that cannot wait for normal business activities to resume,” Kazmi said.
He urged the government to look beyond procedural formalities and approach the genuine demands of the fire victims with sensitivity, urgency and compassion. He said that the affected traders should not be left to struggle alone at a time when they need the collective support of the government, administration and society.
Kazmi called for immediate financial assistance, adequate compensation, special rehabilitation measures and all possible support to enable the affected traders to restart their businesses at the earliest. He also stressed the need for simplified procedures so that genuine victims do not have to run from one office to another to establish their losses and seek assistance.
He further urged the administration to assess the losses transparently and sympathetically, keeping in view the actual scale of destruction and the financial circumstances of each affected family. The government must ensure that relief reaches the deserving beneficiaries without unnecessary delays.
“Time is extremely precious for these families. Every passing day without financial assistance makes their struggle more difficult. A trader who has lost his shop and entire stock cannot wait indefinitely for relief while household expenses, children’s education, bank liabilities and other responsibilities continue. Rehabilitation must therefore be treated as an urgent humanitarian responsibility,” he added.
Kazmi appealed to the elected representatives, concerned departments, business organisations and civil society to come forward and stand firmly with the affected traders during this difficult period.He said that Jammu’s trading community has always contributed significantly to the region’s economy and employment generation, and it is now the responsibility of the government and society to stand by them when they are facing one of the most difficult phases of their lives.
Concluding his appeal, Kazmi said that the real test of governance lies in how sensitively it responds to people in distress. He expressed hope that the government would rise to the occasion, take concrete decisions and ensure that no fire-affected family is left helpless or deprived of its right to a dignified livelihood.”The burnt shops can be rebuilt, businesses can begin again and markets can regain their activity, but for that, these families need timely support, compassion and a helping hand. Let no trader feel abandoned in this hour of grief.”