3 weeks ago
Jammu demolition drive at Parade Sabzi Mandi draws traders' ire
This news is about a vegetable market in a city called Jammu.
The market is very old and crowded, and the city government wants to build a new one.
One Sunday morning, workers arrived very early and knocked down about 20 little shops.
The people who sell vegetables and fruits there were very upset because nobody told them beforehand.
Some of them still had food inside their shops, and they lost it.
The city government said the old shops were unsafe and could fall down during heavy rain.
The shopkeepers worry that without their shops they cannot earn money to feed their families.
The city plans to build a new covered market with 117 spots for sellers and 44 new shops.
The shopkeepers say they are happy to have a better market, but they want the city to give them a fair plan and a safe place to work first.
Around 20 makeshift and concrete shops were demolished at Jammu's Parade Sabzi Mandi early Sunday morning, accompanied by police and paramilitary forces.
The JMC said the drive removed unsafe and dilapidated structures as a safety measure against heavy rainfall and potential collapse, under a Rs 5.88-crore smart city redevelopment project.
Traders alleged the demolition was carried out without prior notice, adequate time to remove goods, and in disregard of a court stay order they said they had obtained.
The redevelopment plan includes a Mild Steel covered shed with 117 vendor platforms and 44 permanent commercial shop blocks.
Traders demanded alternative vending space, compensation and a clear rehabilitation plan, saying they support modernisation but not at the cost of their livelihoods.
- Who
- The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) carried out the demolition; traders of Parade Sabzi Mandi, led by association president Subash Chander Sharma, protested.
- What
- Demolition of around 20 makeshift and concrete shops at the traditional vegetable market as part of a Rs 5.88-crore smart city redevelopment project.
- Where
- Parade Sabzi Mandi, the traditional vegetable market in the congested old city of Jammu.
- When
- Early Sunday morning, around 7 am, on August 9.
- Why
- The JMC said it was to remove unsafe and dilapidated structures at risk of collapse during heavy rainfall and to pave the way for market redevelopment; traders said it was high-handed and done without notice or a rehabilitation plan.
Traders
JMC (Municipal Corporation)
Notice and timing of demolition
Traders
No formal prior notice was served, the drive began early Sunday before the market opened, and a court stay order obtained by shopkeepers was ignored, causing significant losses.
JMC (Municipal Corporation)
The drive was a major safety and clearance measure to remove unsafe and dilapidated structures, prioritising protection of lives and property against heavy rainfall and potential structural collapses.
Market redesign and movement space
Traders
Proposed passages of only six feet are too narrow for traders who bring up to two tonnes of produce into the market.
JMC (Municipal Corporation)
The project envisages a spacious Mild Steel covered shed with 117 vendor platforms and 44 permanent commercial shop blocks for a systematic and orderly market.
Rehabilitation of affected traders
Traders
Authorities should first prepare a proper rehabilitation and relocation plan, with compensation and alternative space, before demolition.
JMC (Municipal Corporation)
The JMC emphasised removal of hazardous structures to pave the way for immediate redevelopment and a safer environment; no rehabilitation plan was mentioned in its statement.
Key facts
- Location
- Parade Sabzi Mandi, Jammu
- Shops demolished
- Around 20 makeshift and concrete shops
- Project cost
- Rs 5.88 crore (smart city project)
- Foundation stone laid
- June 22
- Planned vendor platforms
- 117 (each 1.8m x 2.1m)
- Planned permanent shop blocks
- 44 (each 2.4m x 2.7m)
- JMC Commissioner
- Devansh Yadav
- Traders' daily earnings
- Rs 400-500
Quotes
Subash Chander Sharma
President of the Vegetable and Fruit Association, Parade Sabzi Mandi
“We were not against modernisation and are willing to cooperate with the administration, provided the market was properly rebuilt, like the mandis in Delhi, Chandigarh and Punjab, where there is adequate space for traders and customers.”
theprint.in
“You cannot simply arrive in the early hours and demolish shops where people have their entire livelihood.”
theprint.in
Sources
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