JAMMU: Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir government’s second budget, the Traders Federation Ware House–Nehru Market on Wednesday raised a series of demands, urging the Omar Abdullah-led government to address long-pending issues concerning Jammu city and its economic development.
Addressing a press conference at the Federation office, Deepak Gupta, President of the Federation, said the objective was to highlight the concerns of Jammu’s business community and common citizens through the media so that these issues are duly considered while finalising the budget.
Raising the issue of the 70-year-old Warehouse–Nehru Market, originally established as a grain mandi and currently supporting the livelihoods of fourth-generation traders, Gupta said traders are facing acute space constraints. Due to lack of proper storage facilities, goods are exposed to rain and sunlight, resulting in losses running into lakhs every year. He demanded allotment of land near Jammu city for construction of godowns, along with a specific budgetary provision for the purpose.
Highlighting tourism as a key economic driver, the Federation President said Jammu’s economy is heavily dependent on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and Shri Amarnath Ji Yatras. Despite 80–90 lakh pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi annually, only a small fraction spends time in Jammu city. With the Amarnath Yatra likely to be routed via Sidhra in the future, he stressed the need to fast-track tourism projects with adequate funding to attract pilgrims to Jammu.
He welcomed the recent initiative of Jammu Smart City Limited to introduce boating in an artificial lake on the Tawi River, terming it a potential major attraction, and demanded that the project be made permanent. He also pointed out that the Peer Kho–Bahu Fort ropeway is running at a loss due to poor promotion and called for aggressive marketing of Jammu city and nearby tourist destinations such as Mansar–Surinsar, Purmandal–Uttarwahini, Sudhmahadev–Mantalai and Jia Pota Ghat in Akhnoor.
Emphasising the scope of pilgrim tourism, Gupta said religious sites like Purmandal, Mantalai and Peer Kho must be developed and promoted. Drawing a comparison with Khatu Shyam Ji in Rajasthan, he said while hundreds of devotees from Jammu travel there every month, very few are aware of the Khatu Shyam temple in Akhnoor, which holds similar religious significance. He demanded a separate budget allocation for promotion of religious destinations.
The Federation also urged the government to invest in sports infrastructure and develop Jammu as a sports hub. Gupta demanded construction of a stadium capable of hosting IPL matches, stating that such events would boost sports tourism and generate employment for hotels, transporters, eateries and local businesses. He also called for development of infrastructure for other sports with a dedicated budget.
On infrastructure development, he said that despite the Union Budget’s focus on MSMEs and the IT sector, Jammu lacks adequate commercial hubs. With Bahu Plaza being the last major commercial hub developed decades ago, he demanded allocation of funds for setting up three to four new commercial hubs to support entrepreneurship and IT ventures.
Expressing concern over unplanned private colonies around Jammu city, Gupta said this has led to serious civic and infrastructural challenges. To address housing needs in a planned manner, he urged the government to strengthen the Housing Board with sufficient funds to develop new housing colonies and flats, noting that no major housing colony has come up after Channi Himmat.
Another major demand raised was the establishment of a National Law University (NLU) in Jammu. Gupta said students’ demand for an NLU should not be politicised and clarified that the demand is for equal facilities, not opposition to an NLU in Kashmir. He argued that if J&K can have two Central Universities and two AIIMS, it can also have two NLUs, one each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions. He appealed to the Chief Minister to formally recommend the proposal to the Centre.
Concluding, Gupta said that Omar Abdullah is the Chief Minister of the entire Jammu and Kashmir, and the upcoming budget should reflect Jammu’s aspirations by addressing its long-standing demands.
Senior Federation members Dheeraj Mahajan (Sr Vice President), Vishal Gupta (Vice President), Abhimanyu Gupta (General Secretary), Rahul Gupta (Secretary), Nitin Mahajan (Cashier), Sham Lal Gupta (Former Vice President) and Rajesh Bhagotra, President Sugar Association, were also present at the press conference.
