Alleging gross mismanagement in providing relief to flood affected people in Nowgam Sumbal area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, the victim shopkeepers Monday appealed Governor Narendra Nath Vohra to hold inquiry into the matter. Scores of shopkeepers from Nowgam Sumbal area after assembling here in Press Enclave Srinagar stage a massive protest against district administration alleging that the relief cheques they received from the administration were not honoured by the Bank. “The district administration particularly the Revenue officials played with our sentiments. We were treated as beggars and were given fraud cheques,” the protesting shopkeepers who displayed bank cheques before the reporters said.
The protesters said that they suffered heavily during 2014 floods while we were expecting Revenue Officials to review the assessment of damages caused to our business establishments. However, they made the report of damages in closed rooms of the houses of blue eyed people,” protesters told CNS adding that they have not received a single penny from the administration despite the fact it (administration) mislead people by claiming that flood hit people got relief in time.
During first phanse some 40 shopkeepers were given relief cheques while 150 traders got cheques during the second phase. We were asked to wait but today the banks did not honour these cheques saying that no cash in available in the account,” they said.“Who grabbed the money meant for flood victims,” they questioned. Demanding action against the accused officials, the protesting shopkeepers said that It is the murder of justice and, “we urge authorities particularly Governor NN Vohra to hold an impartial inquiry to ascertain the facts. (CNS)