Onlykashmir.in News Desk
A newly installed food cart near the Clock Tower at Srinagar’s City Centre was demolished by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) after shopkeepers protested, raising serious questions about conflicting actions by government agencies and the way the matter was handled.
The cart had been installed during the night near Ghanta Ghar. On receiving information, SMC officials, accompanied by police personnel, reached the spot and dismantled the structure.
The demolition followed protests by shopkeepers in the area, who objected to the placement of the cart and threatened to call for a shutdown. Several reportedly kept their establishments closed until the structure was removed, turning the issue into a confrontation between traders and the authorities.
The key question, however, is whether the owner had been granted official permission and, if so, under whose authority the structure was demolished.
The owner, Lateef Ahmad, claimed that he had obtained permission from Srinagar Smart City Limited through the proper e-tendering process and was to pay a monthly rent of Rs 15,000. He said he could not understand how an installation permitted through an official process could be demolished by a government agency.
“First they gave me permission and now they have demolished it. I showed the authorities all the necessary documents and permission and even requested them not to damage the cart. I was not even allowed to shift it. I have suffered a loss of around Rs 20 lakh,” he said. He further alleged that officials of Srinagar Smart City Limited who had granted him permission were present when the cart was being demolished.
The episode points to an apparent lack of coordination between agencies. If the owner was granted permission through a formal tendering process, why was the installation demolished? If the permission was not valid, why was it issued, and why was the owner not told before he made such a substantial investment? The SMC’s action following the shopkeepers’ objections also raises the question of whether a clear and consistent policy governs the installation of such commercial structures in the city’s most prominent public spaces.
“The authorities must clarify whether Srinagar Smart City Limited had issued a valid allotment, whether the installation complied with the approved terms and conditions, and on what legal or administrative grounds the SMC ordered its demolition,” a trader said. “An entrepreneur who claims to have followed an official tendering process cannot simply be left to bear a loss of Rs 20 lakh without a transparent explanation from the agencies concerned,” he added.
The Clock Tower area is one of Srinagar’s most prominent commercial and public spaces. Neither the SMC nor Srinagar Smart City Limited had responded in the information available, and the owner’s claims are yet to be verified.
