Early Times Report
Samba, June 25: Jubilant inhabitants of panchayat Deon and Mahorgarh of block Purmandal, district Samba today thanked coalition government headed by chief minister Omar Abdullah for granting backward area status to their nine villages.To celebrate the victory, a function was organized by Backward Area Action Committee (BAAC) at Karan Singh park Purmandal, which was attended by hundreds of villagers of said panchayats.Amid beating of drums and raising slogans, the villagers expressed gratitude to coalition government and executive members of BAAC, who spearheaded the campaign, in favour of their demand of backward area status to their villages. Addressing the gathering, convener of BAAC, retired Subedar Chatar Singh thanked all the villagers, especially women and children, who participated in a series of protests and other functions organized by BAAC in the last three years, to press the government to concede their long pending demand.Chatar Singh said that it was the long pending demand of villagers but the political representatives have been ignoring the same due to some unknown reasons, but it was the persistent struggle of BAAC, which initially submitted applications to Jammu and Kashmir Backward Classes Commission. "The JKBCC sent a questionnaire to DC Samba, who resubmitted the same after filling, following which a team of JKBCC visited our villagers on December 9, 2013 and finally submitted their report to state government", he said, adding that finally on June 19, 2014 the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah granted backward area status, which was victory of villagers and BAAC.
He also thanked local Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Master Noor Hussain for extending full support to BAAC and villagers in their long struggle.While expressing gratitude to villagers and state government, a member of Jan Jagriti Manch (JJM) said that it was the victory of villagers' unity and BAAC. Later a bhandara was also organized on the occasion. Others who addressed the gathering include Sarpanch Deon Mohammad Rasheed, Bunty Sharma, Ashutosh, Sagar Singh, Lokraj and Sarpanch Mahorgarh Puran Chand. |
