Jamshedpur: Traders across the city united on Tuesday as the Jamshedpur All Market Association held a crucial meeting at Gudri Market under the Sonari Joint Market Committee to protest the recent hike in shop rents imposed by the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC).
Vicky Raj presided over the meeting, while Shankar Prasad conducted the proceedings.
Representatives from various markets across Jamshedpur attended the meeting, highlighting widespread concern within the business community. Association President Harvinder Singh Mantu, General Secretary Naseem Ansari, along with Brijesh Goyal, Nikhil Kumar, Sanjay Singh, Durgadas Sahu, Subhash alias Kale, Santosh Agarwal, Ranjit Singh, Kishore Agarwal, and Prem Agarwal were among the prominent participants.
Addressing the gathering, President Harvinder Singh Mantu strongly opposed the rent hike and termed it “unjustified and not in accordance with established norms.” He rejected the decision taken by JNAC and demanded an immediate rollback. He also urged the administration to reconsider the move, stressing its adverse impact on small and medium shopkeepers.
Mantu informed that the association has started organising similar meetings across different markets in Jamshedpur to mobilise traders and build a united front. He warned that if authorities fail to address their concerns, traders will launch a large-scale agitation and hold the district administration responsible for any escalation.
General Secretary Naseem Ansari echoed similar concerns and questioned the basis of the rent hike. He demanded transparency from JNAC and asked officials to clarify under which rules and regulations they implemented the increase. “If no satisfactory explanation is provided, traders will have no option but to resort to agitation,” he said, urging the business community to remain united and prepared for a sustained struggle.
The meeting concluded with hundreds of traders from Sonari Market extending full support to the association’s decisions. They pledged to stand united in opposing the rent hike and protecting their interests.
