Ownership rights for shopkeepers, compensation for stock loss: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today made several announcements for traders including ownership rights for legal occupants of shops for more than 20 years, compensation for loss of stock and buildings, free-of-cost accidental insurance cover, and rebate on the collector rate on registration of shops.

Making these announcements while addressing 'Virat Vyapari Sammelan' (traders' meet) in Rohtak today, the Chief Minister said traders would be provided security and CCTV cameras would be installed in markets while committees would be constituted to redress their grievances at the district level, said an official release.

Elaborating on these announcements, Khattar said compensation ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh (under compensation policy) for loss of stock and buildings and free-of-cost accidental insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh would be provided to the traders.

In both cases, premium would be paid jointly by the Haryana government and the Haryana Vyapari Kalyan Board. All traders who would register themselves with the Board would get the cover, he added.

Twenty per cent rebate will be given on the collector rate on registration of shops. Legal occupants of shops for more than 20 years would be made eligible for ownership rights and registration of their shops would be done as per the current rates, the release said.

Regarding resolving issues pertaining to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Chief Minister said the demands would be processed through GST Council, the nodal authority for such issues. Similarly, traders' demands relating to increase in load carrying capacity of vehicles would also be sent to the central government.

"Having been in the trading business for more than eight years, I can very well understand the problems faced by the traders," the Chief Minister said assuring them that all issues would be resolved under a one-time settlement scheme.

Khattar said the state government was constantly working towards providing clean and safe environment for the traders.

"Before the present government assumed office, traders were held to ransom by criminals having political connections. But the BJP government has given them safe environment for their prosperity," he added.

The state government is constantly working for the benefit of traders and has set them free from the 'inspector raj', he said.

The entire system has been made online so that traders not only can access e-tendering and enjoy the facility of e-assessment but can also make an appeal online. It would inject transparency in the system and help avoid the harassment of visiting the offices concerned again and again, he said.

The chief minister said traders constituted the backbone of the economy and were a major source of revenue generation.

"This is the second such 'sammelan' (meet) organized for the welfare of traders. Earlier, nobody paid any attention to their demands and problems," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, BJP state president, Subhash Barala, said the present government was constantly working for the welfare of traders, farmers and labourers.