JAMMU, Aug 19: Shri Ram Sena, Jammu and Kashmir, has expressed great disappointment against the prolonged delay in the renewal of gun licenses in Jammu, despite the revocation of the ban on issuing fresh arms licenses after a four-year hiatus in the Union Territory.
In a media statement issued here today, Rajiv Mahajan, President of Shri Ram Sena, J&K, highlighted the significant apathy faced by gun license holders across the union territory.
Mahajan emphasized that while armed licenses are granted for security purposes, the holders have encountered substantial hindrances in renewing their licenses over the past six months in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite availability of data on existing arm licenses with the government, the delay in renewal persists, attributed to widespread corruption in the region.
He asserted that at present the government is charging an annual fee of renewing the gun license is Rs 500 per gun as earlier the fees was Rs 60 per license for three years. He said despite charging hefty fees, the administration has miserably failed to renew the gun license on time due to which the license holders are facing huge hardships while visiting the concerned office from time to time.
Expressing his serious concern, Mahajan questioned about the reasons behind the inordinate delay in arm license renewal in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly when the ban on issuing new arms licenses had been lifted. He further noted that even the police verification process has been streamlined through an online system, yet the administration remains unresponsive.
Mahajan sought intervention of LG Sinha to address this matter and investigate the inexplicable delay in renewing gun licenses.