Jammu, October 16, 2022:Scores of traders of Jammu today lodged a strong protest against the opening of Reliance Retail Store in Jammu claiming that it will directly impact the local small traders as no one will then visit their shops to buy goods cause such stores sells almost all the things which can be bought from a small shop.
One of the protestors allegedly told the media that last year they held a agitation against the government and that time the administration & the Reliance industry assured them that they will not open a reliance store here in Jammu, but today breaking that promise they opened one right here which they strongly oppose.
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“We have been carrying peaceful agitations but if our demands are not fulfilled we will stage violent protests here as we have got nothing observing Gandhi style protests and then the repercussions of such protests will have to bear by the present regime”, he said.
“Why the local regime is carrying out experiments in Jammu and why they do not show guts to open such reliance stores in Kashmir. Recently, when the fruit laden trucks were stuck at the National highway I witnessed that all the local leaders of Kashmir stood with them, but where are the local leaders of Jammu and why they are not coming in our support. The local small business men’s are being destroyed by the govt” , another protestor asked.
The former protestor said that the reliance store is another ploy of reliance industries  where they will first sell goods at cheap rates but as the customer gets entangle in such schemes they then suddenly hike the price of that merchandise leaving both the small shopkeepers and customers in financial troubles.
“I request to the local people of Jammu that they should abstain from renting out their places to reliance stores and we will intensify our agitation more strongly if govt didn’t closes such stores here”, he said.
One of the protestors said that the local small trader will oppose the idea of such stores in Jammu as such big stores around him\her will really impact their trade.
“The local small trader collects tax, gives employment to locals and what extra the administration wants from small business person then. This is the not work of a responsible administration to financially restraint small businesses and to give all control to big firms”, he added.
Aman Zutshi
