Costliest bandh

The Jammu & Kashmir shutdown will go down as the costliest shutdown in the history of India. Times of India quotes regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) that the cumulative losses of the shutdown is as large as Rs 10,000 crore during the two-month long agitation.

It further says that  the CCI, Jammu, has submitted a detailed proposal to S S Bloeria, advisor, J&K governor, for compensation. Bloeria, who had assured the Sangharsh Samiti of looking into the losses, has formed a working group headed by chief secretary S S Kapoor for the purpose, which will also have presidents of different organizations — from tourism, trade and industry. During the two months of the bandh, tourism, trade, industry, agriculture, transport and retail sectors suffered cumulative losses of Rs 9,988 crore, which has knocked the wind out of the region’s economy. Providing the break up, CCI said that while industry took the brunt of the losses totalling Rs 3,850 crore, sectors like hotels, cinemas and restaurants accounted for Rs 2,850 crore. Trading was down by Rs 1,050 crore, agriculture by Rs 930 crore, and the automobile sector was set back by Rs 600 crore. 

Now the question again comes to the fore of who gains from these bandhs? When the entire economy ends up in mess and the entire population is affected, why call for a bandh at all?