Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi on Saturday visited the fire-ravaged Shiv Market in Jammu to take stock of the damage caused by a massive blaze that gutted dozens of shops and left a large section of the local trading community facing an uncertain future.
Moving through the charred remains of the market, Inam Un Nabi interacted with affected shopkeepers and listened to their accounts of the losses. Expressing solidarity with the traders on behalf of the AIP leadership, he urged the Omar Abdullah-led government to announce an immediate relief package without waiting for protracted formalities.
The party leader called for a transparent assessment of losses so that every affected trader is properly accounted for. He said compensation must be released without unnecessary procedural delays, stressing that small businesses operating on thin margins cannot absorb a calamity of this scale without institutional support.
“The affected traders cannot be left to rebuild their lives on assurances alone. For many families, these shops represented years of hard work, investment and their only source of income. The government must provide immediate financial assistance and ensure their businesses are restored through a time-bound rehabilitation plan,” he said.
Inam Un Nabi added that the administration must move beyond expressions of sympathy and political assurances. In his view, the government should demonstrate its commitment through tangible relief, timely compensation and a clear roadmap for restoring the affected businesses, so that livelihoods disrupted by the fire are revived at the earliest.
Markets such as Shiv Market form the backbone of local commerce in Jammu city, supporting not only shop owners but also employees, suppliers and daily wage workers who depend on steady footfall. A fire of this magnitude therefore reverberates well beyond the premises that were directly damaged, affecting entire family networks and the wider neighbourhood economy. Traders in such markets typically operate with limited insurance cover, which makes government support all the more significant in the immediate aftermath.
The visit also reflects the growing attention political parties are paying to civic and livelihood concerns in the Jammu region, where commercial hubs often bear the brunt of fire accidents owing to congested layouts and ageing electrical infrastructure. Calls for a time-bound rehabilitation plan are likely to find resonance among traders awaiting clarity on how, and how soon, they will be able to reopen.
The AIP reiterated its solidarity with the affected trading community and urged the administration to act with urgency and sensitivity. The party said that prompt and humane handling of the crisis would help restore confidence among traders and give the affected families a realistic chance of rebuilding what they have lost.
