Wednesday, 06 October 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
The local businessmen in Dehradun have threatened to stage a protest against the authorities if the ongoing construction work under the smart city project is not finished in Paltan Bazaar and nearby marketplaces this week.
According to them, the festival season starts from Thursday with Navratri when locals generally start shopping but due to the ongoing construction works under the smart city project, many customers avoid entering the marketplaces. “First it was the Covid-19 curfew, then the monsoon and now the never-ending smart city construction works that continue to affect our business.
Our business has not recovered since the pandemic hit the state last year. The project officials always give a deadline that they will finish the work by the particular date but it never gets done. The project is also being affected by recurring constructions and demolitions,” said a shopkeeper of a clothing store in Paltan Bazaar, Amit Kumar. Another local shopkeeper Sajju Singh also said that many people have got injured due to the unfinished construction works of Dehradun Smart City Limited (DSCL) due to which many avoid entering the market. “I saw two children get injured in front of my shop due to the smart city construction work. Many adults have also been injured in the past few weeks.
Such incidents make people reluctant to visit the market, especially with their young children. We do not know what the issue is but it is adversely affecting our livelihood. The festive season is the earning season for us and if these construction works continue to cause us losses, we will protest against the authorities,” said Singh. The president of Doon Valley Mahanagar Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DVMUVM) Pankaj Masson said that the association will stage a protest against the authorities if construction works are not finished this week. He stated, “We had asked DSCL to finish the work by Wednesday and they agreed. They are working regularly to finish the work in Paltan Bazaar and nearby marketplaces since the last week of September.
We will analyse the progress of the work on Wednesday and after that, we will plan our protest.” He said that the local businessmen will shut down shops for three hours initially to stage their protest and if the authorities continue to be apathetic, they will shut down shops completely.
