Dejected businessmen of Shraddhanand Road, calling on Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar on Wednesday, warned that they may resort to intensive agitation if the main entrance point near Congress office is again blocked by raising a puja pandal in the middle of the road.
They alleged that the business of over 350 shopkeepers completely gets crashed down for over a month during the festive season as the entry of the market is completely blocked by the pandal.
A delegation of Shraddhanand Road Businessmen Association also met Governor Droupadi Murmu requesting her to interfere and help them out of the problem.
“There are over 200 medicine and 150 wholesale cloth merchants on Shraddhanand Road whose business gets affected very badly at least for a month during Durga Puja which is not justified from any point of view. We have requested the district administration and Governor as well to take some action in this regard that the puja pandal is not raised again this time at the entrance point, blocking the entry of vehicles into the road,” said Secretary of Shradhanand Road Dukandaar Samiti and President of Jharkhand Thok Vastra Vikreta Sangh Praveen lohia.
According to lohia, they will launch an intensive campaign against the district administration, cutting the supply chain of medicines in the city if no action was taken by the district administration to check the Pandal being raised on the Main Road.
lohia, calling it a case of contempt against the ruling of Jharkhand High Court, which prohibits installing any temporary or permanent structure on roads during festive seasons in the name of belief, said that even the High Court does not give permission of any such activity on the middle of the road.
“Puja Samitis as well as district administration are not abiding by the directions passed on February 6, 2002 of the Jharkhand High court banning any kind of structure on road in the name of belief,” said lohia.
An interlocutory application was also filed in the Jharkhand High Court requesting it to interfere and find out a solution in this regard. “The case was disposed of today itself with a direction to Additional Advocate General Ajit Kumar find out a way out after talking to the organiser as well as the shopkeepers,” said petitioner’s advocate Rahul Saboo.
In order to draw attention of the authorities so that timely action could be taken in this regard, the association next week is planning a 2 -hour symbolic closing of all medicine and textile shops. “Thereafter, even if the administration does not get awaken, we will resort to intensive campaign against the administration, breaking the supply chain of medicines in the state,” said lohia.
District Administration, however, assured that no pandal will be allowed to be raised in the middle of the road. “I am directing the SDO to conduct site inspection in the beginning itself so that it could be checked before it is planned by the organizers,” said DC Manoj Kumar.
Referring to the problem related to the Shraddhanand Road, the DC said that the matter has been brought into his notice and has directed the SDO to look into it and find out a solution after talking to the organizers of concerned Puja Samiti.