JAMMU, Sep 8: The Shiv Sena (UBT) Jammu and Kashmir unit’s ‘Save Jammu’s Trade and Employment’ signature campaign continued for the second consecutive day on Tuesday at Shiv Market and Mangal Market, drawing support from around 2,000 traders and taxi drivers for the demand to develop Jammu Tawi as a major rail hub and the final terminal for long-distance trains.
Led by party State President Manish Sahni, Shiv Sena activists collected signatures from traders and taxi operators and also enrolled them in the party’s ‘Jammu Yoddha Abhiyan’.
Sahni said Jammu could no longer be treated merely as a transit point for trains. He stressed that developing Jammu Tawi as a major rail hub and terminal for long-distance trains would increase passenger footfall and directly benefit local markets, taxi operators, hotels and restaurants, small businesses and other sections of the local economy.
“The support of nearly 2,000 traders and people associated with the transport sector clearly shows that this is no longer the demand of a political party alone. It has become a collective voice for Jammu’s trade, employment and local economy,” Sahni said.
He said the campaign was a fight for Jammu’s economic future and called for a fundamental shift in the region’s railway connectivity.
“This is not the fight of one political party; it is the fight for Jammu’s trade, employment and future. Jammu must not remain merely a stopover. It must be developed as a major railway gateway and economic hub of Jammu and Kashmir,” Sahni said.
He said the signature campaign would be extended to other major markets and commercial areas of Jammu and that the demand would be strongly taken up with the Central Government and the Railway authorities.