The district administration in Jammu City has taken significant action against shops selling books and uniforms at inflated prices, disregarding official instructions. As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), five establishments across Kachchi Chhawni, Bahu Plaza, and Kunjwani were sealed, with each shopkeeper fined Rs 75,000, totaling Rs 3.75 lakh in penalties.
Led by ADC Jammu Ansuya Jamwal, a joint team comprising the Legal Metrology Department, Labor Department, and Education Department conducted raids in the Kachchi Cantonment and Pakka Danga areas. Several shops were inspected, including Sahitya Sangam in Bahu Plaza, which was found operating without a license and selling bundles of books from prominent schools in the city.
The bundles, curated for various classes, lacked books approved by the NCERT or Education Department. Consequently, the shop was sealed for operating without the necessary license. Similarly, U Mart in Kachchi Cantonment, selling uniforms without price lists, was also sealed, along with another shop named Vidyarthi, where the uniforms were inadequately packaged.
A shop in Kunjwani faced similar consequences. ADC Jammu stated that according to shopkeepers, the book bundles were compiled based on information from the schools’ websites. If confirmed, action will be taken against the implicated schools as well. Reports inform that DC Jammu had received numerous complaints regarding the sale of books at exorbitant prices, prompting the joint team’s intervention. Two shops in Kachchi Cantonment were found selling uniforms without price lists, while the Bahu Plaza outlet operated without a license. As per regulations, the sealed shops were fined Rs 75,000 each—(KNO)
