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| People Protest Land acquisition | | | Srinagar | Feb 4
As government is pressing hard to acquire land for a Degree College in Uri, the residents of this bordering township are up in arms against the government move.
Claiming that half of their agricultural lands have already been occupied by the army, the residents are threatening to migrate to some other area in case the government did not reconsider its policy of acquiring their lands.
State government's decision to shift the college from Laghama area of Uri tehsil to Ward number five of Uri town has come to the people of this town, depending mostly on Agriculture, as a surprise. Land had earlier been acquired for the college in Laghama and government even spent lakhs of rupees to build a road up to the site of constriction of college.
But as government planned to shift the college from Laghama to Uri, people whose lands have to be acquired for the purpose were left uninformed of the developments. And when the revenue officials approached them for conceding lands for building a college, people took to streets and started raising anti-government slogans in front of SDM's office in Uri.
"Police and other officials are forcing us to vacate our lands," said a protester, Mohammed Ismaiel Chowdhary, adding "Army has already taken half our lands."
The protesters, however, were adamant to hold their ground in any case and said that whatever the government has in its power, it may use but the villagers shall not vacate lands.
"We will not concede the land. Come what may," said a teacher, Mushtaq Ahmad of ward number five. "Let them use force as much as they can," he added.
Another protester added that if they could not stop the government from taking the step, they shall be forced to migrate to some other area where they will have 'at least some thing to eat.'
The villagers, caught between the Army's expansion of activities in bordering areas and government's callous approach, are heart broken that their only means of livelihood could soon be gone. |
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