news details |
|
|
| Bumpy Roads: Kishtwar residents stage protest against GREF | | | Early Times Report
Kishtwar, May 5 : The people in mountainous district Kishtwar today held a day long protest against General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) over poor condition of city roads and demanding immediate black topping of 4 KM road stretch from Malipath to 9 Sector HQ at Wassar passing through Kishtwar town. Protestors also called on Kishtwar Bandh against GREF's callous approach towards arteries of mountainous district.
Led by Sarpanch Ajeet Kumar and Sashi Badyal protestors blocked the vehicular movement from 8 AM today at Kuleed Chowk Kishtwar which paralyzed the normal life in Kishtwar town. Amid slogans against the GREF officials and administration for their failure in black topping the Kishtwar road for over 10 years, the protestors irrespective of any political affiliation while staging protest alleged that GREF officials in connivance with local administration has swindled funds worth crores of rupees meant for the maintenance including black topping of roads. They also alleged that as per the guide lines, the Highways need to be black topped after every one or two years, but Highway passing through Kishtwar town has never been black topped, while in actual the funds were withdrawn against non existing works.
As the protest grew stronger and stronger with every passing moment, the administration in a bid to pacify situation sent ADDC Kishtwar Avtar Singh Chib and DySP HQ Nazir Ahmed Ganie but the protestors refused to budge and demanded immediate start of black topping of road besides demanding spot presence of Officiating Commandant (OC) 118 RCC Kishtwar. Thereafter, O/C GREF along with Additional SP Kishtwar Abdul Qayoom rushed to the spot, but all this fail to pacify the protestors who remained stuck to their demands.
Amid sloganeering against GREF and administration, the agitators demanded handing over of Road projects in Kishtwar to companies like AFCON or Leighton for the quality work.
Meantime some protestors led by Ashish Sharma also blocked the road outside Ghori Shankar Mandir Sarkoot and disrupted the movement on Kishtwar-Poochal road.
After almost 9 hour long protest, the agitating people called off the protest at around 5:00pm in the evening and after taking various trade organizations, employees associations, student organizations, transporters, and political parties into confidence called for Kishtwar bandtomorrow to protest against the GREF's indifferent approach towards genuine issue.
Pertinent to mention that "Early Times" in its May 2,2014 edition published a detailed story titled as "Kishtwar city road a death trap…..,' highlighting the issue of apathy of GREF authorities towards Kishtwar roads. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
