Jammu, November 09: The BJP has constituted a six-member committee to assess losses suffered by traders in the recent Nehru Market and Shiv Market fire incidents in Jammu and take up their demands for compensation and rehabilitation with the Government.
Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma announced the committee during a visit to the fire-ravaged Warehouse Complex near Nehru Market on Monday, where a massive blaze on Sunday evening damaged more than 15 shops.
The committee, headed by MLA Sham Lal Sharma, will assess the losses at both markets, prepare a comprehensive list of affected traders and pursue time-bound relief and rehabilitation with the Government. It will also take up the demand for allowing MLAs to utilise their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to assist the affected traders.
The panel has been constituted in consultation with BJP State President Sat Sharma, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP. Its members include Dr Narinder Singh, MLAs Yudhvir Sethi, Vikram Randhawa and Arvind Gupta, and party General Secretary Baldev Singh Billowria, besides its chairman.
During the visit, Sunil Sharma met affected traders and demanded adequate and time-bound compensation for those who had suffered losses in both incidents, saying the assistance should be over and above routine relief norms.
“In barely two weeks, Jammu has witnessed two devastating market fires: first at Shiv Market near the Railway Station and now at Nehru Market. These are not just shops; they represent the livelihoods of hundreds of families. Traders cannot be sent home with mere words of sympathy. They need relief on the ground and a concrete plan to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” he said.
Sharma also called for strengthening firefighting arrangements in Jammu’s crowded commercial areas, particularly the Warehouse complex. He sought deployment of additional fire tenders, including compact vehicles and quick-response units capable of entering narrow market lanes.
Seeking long-term preventive measures, he urged the Government to identify and allot a separate site for warehouses and the storage of inflammable goods, away from crowded markets and residential areas.
Referring to the earlier fire at Shiv Market, Sharma alleged that the Government had failed to make public any relief amount or timeline despite assuring affected traders of all possible assistance.
“After the Shiv Market fire, the NC Government promised ‘all possible assistance’, but no relief amount or timeline has been made public so far. The Omar Government must now move from assurances to action,” he said.
Sharma was accompanied by Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma, former J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, MLAs Arvind Gupta, Yudhvir Sethi and Vikram Randhawa, and BJP General Secretary Baldev Singh Billowria.
The BJP reiterated that affected traders needed immediate relief, fair compensation and rehabilitation, alongside stronger fire-safety arrangements across Jammu’s commercial establishments.
