Traders of Jammu lodged a strong protest against the opening of Reliance Retail Store in Jammu and decision of the Union Territory administration to allow the selling of beer and other ready-made drinks in departmental stores.
Addressing a press conference in Federation office at Ware House, Deepak Gupta, president of Traders Federation Ware House Nehru Market (Jammu) expressed anguish over the opening of Reliance Retail Store in Jammu. Gupta said that small shopkeepers of Jammu will be ruined and their shops will be closed because of these big companies.
He said that they have been continuously appealing the Government to take some steps to save the small traders of Jammu but no plea is being heard and now the Government has given permission to open the network of Reliance Smart Bazaar store in Jammu. “This store will sell everything from groceries to medicines and electronics to liquor. Then who will go to the small shopkeepers running the shops in the streets?,” Gupta asked. He said if the Government does not listen to them, they will come on roads, hold dharnas and go on hunger strike.
While reacting to New Excise Policy, Gupta regretted that the Government is deliberately indulging the youth in drugs addiction by allowing the selling of alcohol in departmental stores. “Already the City of Temples has been turned into town wine shops because, in every street of Jammu city, wine shop has been opened during the last one and half years”, he said.
He said that the Government is violating rules and regulations by allowing departmental stores to sell Beer and other ready-made drinks. He said that already wine shops have been opened in populated areas and near religious places and they will not allow the departmental stores to sell Beer and other ready-made drinks.
Munish Mahajan (senior vice-president of the Federation), Abhimanyu Gupta (vice-president) Sham Lal Langer (general secretary), Vishal Gupta (secretary) and Amit Gupta (cashier) and Rattan Lal Gupta (former president) were also present on the occasion.
