KD News Impact : College Authorities Take Note and Refund Losses to Entrepreneurs
Sopore Public Reacts: Refunding Amount Not Enough, Demands Probe
ADC Sopore Promises Thorough Investigation and No Mercy for Those Responsible in this Crime
Suhail Khan
Sopore, Nov 30 : The two-day “Dawaat-e-Tejarat” event organized by Sopore Degree College has been accused of being a fraudulent and fake show designed solely to obtain money from entrepreneurs.
Several entrepreneurs, who were invited to participate in the business festival, have expressed their disappointment and frustration, claiming that they were misled and deceived by the college authorities.
One of the entrepreneur talking to Kashmir Despatch revealed that they were under the impression that this event was a platform to promote local businesses. However, it turned out to be a mere waste of their financial resources, time, and materials. The disheartened enterpruner denounced the college authorities for orchestrating a massive fraud, stating that the organizers only took their money without providing any significant value in return.
Another female entrepreneur shared a similar sentiment, narrating how she and others repeatedly contacted the college authorities prior to the event to confirm its openness to all. Despite receiving affirmative responses, the people even their own customers were denied entry on the day of the festival, leading to financial losses and wasted food. She demanded a refund of their money and urged for strict action against the college authorities for cheating under the guise of promoting business.
These entrepreneurs emphasized that their primary intention in setting up stalls at the business mela was to inspire and support the local community. Regrettably, they found themselves victims of this fraudulent scheme, illustrating the sufferings endured by the people of this town.
Other entrepreneurs who participated in the first day of the show echoed similar grievances. They expressed their disappointment and attempted to meet with the college principal to address their concerns, but alleged that she was absent when they sought an audience with her at 3 PM.
In response to these allegations, Dr. Salma Ahad, the college principal, while talking to Kashmir Despatch dismissed the accusations as baseless and stated that new dates would be announced for rescheduling the festival. However, when questioned about the losses incurred by the entrepreneurs, she abruptly disconnected the call, leaving their demands unanswered.
KD Impact ;
Soon after the Kashmir Despatch broke the news, the college authorities took it seriously and called all the affected and disheartened entrepreneurs to refund their amount.
Public Reaction
The allegations raised against Sopore College and its fraudulent business show cast a shadow of doubt on the credibility and integrity of the event, which received a huge backlash from the people in Sopore town.
Aashiq Hussain Zaki, a social activist, termed this incident unfortunate while talking to Kashmir Despatch. He said we are all aware of the unemployment in Kashmir, which is also a burning issue. However, this incident in Sopore, where our young entrepreneurs were allegedly cheated, is really heartbreaking. In this regard, the authorities should take stern action against those involved in this fraud against the entrepreneurs. He also appreciated the initiative, but the alleged fraud on young entrepreneurs really discouraged them.
Another social activist, Advocate Mursaleen, told Kashmir Despatch that it was a commendable step from the administration’s side. However, the way they deceived young enterpruners and forced them to hit the streets raises many questions about the college institution. They failed to make it public despite it being related to boosting the local business and the local entrepreneurs. Whatever happened is a matter of condemnation and should be investigated.
A political leader, Tanveer Fatima, also made a statement by alleging college authorities for all the fraud witnessed through the protest by entrepreneurs. She said if such things happen to our children, how can they be safe in their future? It’s really disheartening and needs a probe. We all should not discourage our youth.
PDP District Youth leader Irfan Ali reacted to the issue while talking to Kashmir Despatch. He said this is the height of things – how college authorities played with the sentiments of young entrepreneurs. Irfan said the principal of the degree college should know that our Prime Minister often says that youth is the future of the nation, but the way Sopore college authorities defied the Prime Minister’s claims is really a matter of investigation. He said it was really playing with the feelings of the youth, which needs thorough investigation.
Reacting to the issue, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore Shabir Ahmad Raina said it was a two-day program titled Dawat-e-Tijarat in which they planned to invite all the local entrepreneurs to promote their businesses. However, he received information through the media that all was not well, and he immediately spoke to the principal of the college. They decided to compensate for all the losses if the participants felt so. ADC said he also visited the spot where he came to know it was not open for the public. If entrepreneurs are claiming they were informed about it being open to all, then the ADC office Sopore will look into the issue and will constitute a team to thoroughly investigate. ADC Sopore promised that action will be taken as per the law.
Suhail Khan is a filmmaker, content writer, and freelance journalist.
