Over a dozen shops were demolished by the administration on Friday as part of highway expansion work in Jammu city, triggering resentment among shopkeepers who sought immediate rehabilitation.
Men and machinery of the administration carried out the demolition drive for the second day in the Satwari-Nai Basti area amid heavy security deployment, officials said.
The drive was undertaken after shopkeepers and other occupants vacated the premises following notices issued by the authorities, they said.
Nearly 20 shops were demolished in the Satwari area on Thursday, while 13 shops were demolished on Friday, according to locals.
Officials said the shopkeepers had been served notices several times and were informed two days ago to remove their belongings before the demolition. The power supply to the structures was also disconnected on Wednesday, they said.
However, Suresh Kumar, a shopkeeper, alleged that the administration was acting arbitrarily and said the demolition had caused serious hardship to the affected people."By acting according to their whims, they are harming business community and sending a wrong message. Our livelihood has been completely destroyed. We want this to end completely," Kumar said.
Another shopkeeper, Arminder Singh, described the situation as "very sad" and said the demolition had severely affected the livelihood of several families.
"No one can compensate for this loss. This is our livelihood. There is no price that can be put on our livelihood," Singh said, appealing to the Lieutenant Governor and the government to ensure justice and rehabilitation for the affected shopkeepers.
"We must be immediately rehabilitated. Alternative shops should be allotted to us to carry out business", he said.
Singh claimed that his shop was 50-60 years old and that he had records pertaining to the establishment.
"We are not sitting here as owners of someone else's illegal land. We have not done anything wrong. We have documents relating to the municipality," he said.
He also questioned the proposed allotment of alternative sites, saying providing allotment letters after demolishing the existing shops would not address the immediate concerns of the affected families.
The shopkeepers appealed to the administration to accommodate and rehabilitate them, saying the demolition had disrupted their daily income and left them "displaced". The demolition is part of the administration's ongoing infrastructure and highway expansion works in Jammu city, officials said.
