Jammu, Sept. 11 -- The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) demolished at least 20 shops at Satwari Chowk as part of a road-widening project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Thursday morning, triggering anger among the shopkeepers, who demanded immediate rehabilitation.

The shopkeepers alleged that their establishments, which were 50 to 60 years old, were demolished without any prior notice.

"The JMC and the NHAI came with JCBs and demolished the shops without any prior notice. The officials have assured us that we would be rehabilitated in six to eight months but how will we feed our children in the meantime?" asked Rakesh Kumar, one of the affected shopkeepers.

The occupants claimed that they had been regularly payi...