Nowshera residents march for district status

Tribune News Service

Jammu/Rajouri, March 17

Residents of Nowshera today took out a ‘Jammu Chalo’ march to show their resentment against the ruling BJP leaders for being apathetic towards their demand.

For almost a month, Nowshera residents have been demanding district status for the areas comprising Kalakote, Sunderbani and Nowshera.

Fed up with repeated assurances of BJP leaders, over 10,000 residents of Nowshera and adjoining localities today started ‘Jammu Chalo’ so as to wake up the government and the BJP from slumber.

Sensing that the march might create trouble, Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Shahid Iqbal Choudhary convinced the agitators to suspend their march, assuring them that an official order in this regard will be issued on Monday.

As protesters, led by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) headed by Subhash Kapoor, reached near the Tain bridge, about 5 km from Nowshera, around 1 pm, they were requested by the administration to wait for the government directions but they refused to stop and continued their march.

At Siot Morh on the Jammu-Poonch highway, the district administration had deployed police and CRPF personnel in strength to foil the march.a

As the marchers halted at Lamberi for lunch, the Deputy Commissioner and the Rajouri Senior Superintendent of Police, Yougal Manhas, who were present at the spot, informed them that the high-level committee headed by Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Lokesh Dutt Jha, after holding deliberations with the stakeholders, including people of Nowshera, Sunderbani and Kalakot, had on March 15 submitted its report to the government for necessary action.

On this assurance, the JAC members agreed to suspend the march. “The authorities did not allow the protesters to move beyond Lamberi,” said the DC.

Meanwhile, the JAC has announced suspension of the protest march till Tuesday. “If the government fails to fulfil the demand of the people of Nowshera, the Jammu Chalo march will be resumed. Till then, the indefinite strike will continue,” the JAC said.