Chowki Choura residents on fast over demand for college

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 20

Residents, under the banner of Block Congress Committee, Chowki Choura, observed a hunger strike in front of the SDM office on Friday to protest government’s “cold shoulder” to their demand for a government degree college in their block.

Raising slogans against the BJP-PDP government, people demanded sanctioning of a degree college in the remote area.

The hunger strike was led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) senior vice president Sham Lal Sharma.

Sham Lal Sharma said after the introduction of the Right to Education Act, the government was bound to provide quality education to students and extend regular support for higher education in far-flung areas of Chowki Choura in Akhnoor block, which comprises lower economic class families.

“Due to the non-availability of a government degree college in the area, a number of students, particularly girls, are forced to discontinue their studies after Class XII,” Sharma said and warned that if the government does not concede to this demand, they would have no option but to launch an agitation.

The PCC senior vice president said the BJP, though making tall claims for improving the education standards in the state, had closed various schools in Jammu and had utterly failed in providing infrastructure in educational institutions.

In the end, the protesters submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister through the Chowki Choura SDM.