Darbar opens amid bandh in Jammu

Jammu, Nov 6 (UNI) Responding to the bandh call by state BJP and Refugees United Forum (RUF) on the opening day of the 'Darbar' (Secretariat) in this winter capital today, all the markets in the City remained totally closed while transport was off the road.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad received the guard of honour marking the bi-annual change of the Capital -- a practice that was started in 1872 during Maharaja Ranbir Singh's period -- amidst peaceful protests in the City.

While the BJP had given the bandh call to protest the dscrimination against Jammu region and the minority communities in the state, bestowing ''voting right'' as a citizen to the refugees of 1947 and 1965 was the main demand of RUF.

The 'City of Temples' gave a deserted look due to the total bandh, as all the shops and commercial establishments remained shut.

There was no transaction in the wholesale as well as the retail sectors.

According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) here, the closure of shops and transport leads to ''huge loss'' to economy of the state.

''As it is first of the week, (generally the busiest day) transactions of over Rs 60 crore have stopped today,'' CCI Secretary General Rajendra Motial told UNI.

Government offices, banks, and educational institutions witnessed low attendance as transport, barring auto rickshaws and personnel vehicles, remained off the road.

The National Highway, however, remained open.

There was no report of any untoward incident in the city, police said, adding that security personnel were deployed on each and every corner of the city to maintain law and order.

Prohibitory orders were imposed in the periphery of three kilometers of the civil secretariat, which started its operations from Jammu.

UNI VJ VD BS1803