| District Congress stages protest against power, water supply, high prices of reta bajri, other issues | | |  Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 3: The District Congress Committee Jammu (Urban) on Saturday staged a protest at Shaheedi Chowk to raise various local issues worrying the people of Jammu including high costs of reta bajri, irregular power cuts, shortage of water supply, stopping the practice of Darbar Move and surging fuel prices.
The protest followed a monthly meeting of the DCC Jammu (Urban) chaired by former Minister Yogesh Sawhney, General Secretary PCC and InCharge District President Jammu (U).
The protesters marched holding placards and raised slogans against the Centre. The protesters criticized the administration for mismanagement of the power and water supply to households across the Jammu city.
They said that irregular power cuts and the problem of acute shortage of water are making people's daily lives extremely difficult. The district Congress leaders also attacked the recent decision of cancelling the practice of Darbar Move without consulting all stakeholders alleging that it will adversely affect the markets and economies of both the cities; and highlighted the issue of increasing costs of reta bajri used in construction, urging the administration to look into the matter.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP leadership, Sawhney said that Jammu and Kashmir has been grappling with problem after problem because of the Centre's policies and decisions. Jammu is being terribly ignored as various scams and mafias take over the city. They loot and deceive the locals and the government is silent. The poor are suffering immensely at the behest of this silence. One of the most recent examples, he said, is the surging prices of reta bajri.
In fact, against the DC's official orders, the material is being sold to stakeholders at unreasonably high prices from right under the noses of the administration. There has been a rise in illegal mining of the sand gravel but also skyrocketed the prices of it in the black market. As the sand commands an exorbitant price in the grey market, people who need it have no option but to buy it at higher rates, since there are no reprimands or penalties. Moreover, a mafia has developed and the demand for bajri has increased manifold.
This is affecting the middle income groups and the lower income groups who will have to postpone construction works and businesses are also affected. He urged the administration to look into the matter and reprimand the parties involved. The administration and the government need to become more vigilant. Instead of spending their political energy on publicizing, it would be better spent in governing, the former Minister said.
Also speaking at the occasion, Kanta Bhan rebuked the Centre for ignoring the plight of people suffering at the behest of shockingly high prices which are increasing day by day and its failure to control raging inflation which has led to steep rise in prices of petrol, diesel, LPG and grocery essentials. Instead of recovering from the pandemic, India is going in reverse into a worse economic crisis, especially when you consider the poor and the common man.
There is no relief for them on the other side. Fuel costs have been ratcheted up to current levels by numerous tax hikes over the past few years. The record-high gasoline and diesel prices are leaving Indian car and bike owners unable to afford the cost of using their vehicles. The public transport industry hikes prices consequently and that too will affect the common man.
Along with Yogesh Sawhney, senior Congress leaders Kanta Bhan, Madan Malager, Dr. Ramakant Khajuria, JMC Councillors ch. Dawarka, Ritu Choudhary, Pritum Singh, Saraj, Ex Councillors Uttam Singh Kulbhushan Sharma, Sanjeev Sharma, Rajiv Saraf, Pawan Dev Singh, Vijay Singh Chib, Rajesh Sharma, Anil Sharma, Viney Sharma, Atul Sharma, Chander Shekhar Sharma, Raj Kumar Meenia, Diwan Chand, Mandeep Singh, Jatinder Chib, Ajay Kumar, Sdr Mandeep Singh, Yash Sangral, H S Baagi, Pt. Vishavanath, Darshan Lal Verma, Manmohan Sharma, Gurmeet Singh, Ram Magotra, Jatinder Singh (Dimpa), Rakesh Sharma, Rishu Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, kartar Singh, Surinder Dogra, Garu Ram, Ajay Kumar, Janak Raj Mehra, Tariq Ahmad, Jasbinder Singh, Sunil Bedi, Sdr. Harban Singh, Shubham Chib, Prithvi Raj, Gurpratap Sodi and others participated in the protest. |
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