Srinagar: Police on Thursday used water canons to foil marching All Traders Joint Coordination Committee, Batmaloo, towards Civil Secretariat.
The traders have been observing a strike since Sept 5 against the shifting of bus terminal from Batmaloo to Parimpora on the city outskirts.
Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) along with J&K police had sealed the bus stand on September 5th following the J&K high court order last month.
A spokesman of the committee told INS that a ‘big conspiracy is being hatched gainst the traders and transporters of Batmaloo who earn their livelihood and support their families from the bus stand’.
“We have no problem in shifting the bus stand but the government should have taken us into confidence and should rehabilitate us first as we earn our livelihood from the bus stand. We bought the shops on high rates from the SDA as we expected huge sales owing to the huge rush of people in the stand but now all our hopes are dashed,’ the spokesman told INS.
“We even met Chief Minister Mehbooba, she assured us that all our grievances would be suitably addressed but till date nothing has been done,” he added.
The protesters have decided to continue strike till their demands are met.
Pic by Zargar Zahoor
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