Shimla: BJP leader, former State President and Shimla Lok Sabha MP Suresh Kashyap raised the concerns of shopkeepers of Kasauli Cantonment with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and sought sympathetic consideration of the proposed rent enhancement and additional charges.
Kashyap apprised the Defence Minister that shopkeepers of Market Bazaar, Kasauli Cantonment, Solan district, have expressed serious concern over the proposed 20 per cent enhancement in lease rent and levy of additional charges on the extended portions of their shops by the Cantonment Board, Kasauli.
He stated that, according to the shopkeepers, the extended structures were constructed by them at their own cost after obtaining due permission from the Cantonment Board. They have represented that no stipulation regarding future recurring charges was imposed at that time. Therefore, the proposed additional financial burden has caused considerable concern among the affected traders.
Kashyap also drew the Defence Minister’s attention to the recent fire incident in the Heritage Market and the consequent decline in business, which has already caused severe financial hardship to local shopkeepers.
He said that imposing a 20 per cent rent enhancement and additional charges at a time when traders are still struggling to recover from their losses could further aggravate their financial difficulties.
The Shimla MP urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to have the entire matter examined sympathetically and sought relief for the affected shopkeepers.
