Kishtwar, June 20: A day after protest rally in Doda, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) staged a massive demonstration here in Kishtwar on tuesday demanding compensation to the victims of recent earthquakes in Kishtwar and Doda districts and sought revocation of curtailment order of ration in Jammu and Kashmir. The senior party leadership led DPAP workers and activists who held placards and banners seeking compensation to recent earthquake victims of Kishtwar and Doda districts.
DPAP’s Vice-Chairman G M Saroori, Chief spokesperson Salman Nizami, Zonal President P.R. Manhas with party workers marched in Kishtwar town and staged a protest, later submitted the memorandum to DC Kishtwar. The DPAP leaders also demonstrated against the stopping of free ration distribution to poor, reduction of monthly ration quota to consumers and imposition of property tax. The demonstrations are part of the series of protests to be held across Jammu and Kashmir against anti-people measures which are impacting common masses, be it price hike, electricity inflated bills, imposition of property tax and ration issue. Addressing the protesters here, Vice-Chairman DPAP G M Saroori criticised the government for not providing any compensation to the recent earthquake victims in Kishtwar or Doda districts.
Reminding the present government about October 8, 2005 earthquake which hit Uri and Karnah areas in Kashmir and Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, Saroori affirmed that under the able leadership of the then chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, his government in 2005-2006 provided relief on timely basis and adopted long term rehabilitation programme for the victims who till this date praise the Chairman DPAP for serving the people of Jammu and Kashmir with honesty and dedication. Demanding immediate government intervention, the chief spokesperson Salman Nizami sought establishment of a committee of seismologists and scientists to undertake immediate scientific study on recurrences of tremors in Chenab Valley.
The DPAP leadership also demanded rollback of all anti-people measures like ration curtailment, imposition of property tax and relief to consumers of electricity who have been charged with no norms in place for rural or hilly populations where there is no electricity but inflated bills are handed over shockingly. The DPAP leadership observed that the stoppage of free ration to the poor would lead to starvation of people while the reduction in monthly quota of ration to consumers in rice-consumed J&K is unacceptable.
They said that on one hand authorities have failed to control the prices of essential commodities while on the other hand the government is hiking the prices of gas refills and electricity. Among others who participated in the protests include Pritam Kotwal Provincial Gen Secretary, Ramesh Parihar Secretary, Ameena Banoo DDC, Shabir Ahmed Lone Distt President Kishtwar, Khalid Hussain Sheikh, Dewan Chand Thakur, Mohd Iqbal Keen, Ch. Mohd Ishaq, Ch. Bashir Ahmed, Noor Din, Bidya Lal Sharma, Daleep Kumar, Mushtaq Ahmed Malik, Mohd Saleem Sheikh, Ali Mohd Naik, Akhtar Hussain, Tariq Hussain, Sajjad Hussain, Captain Amar Chand, Tariq Hussain Wani, Ghulam Qadir Sheikh, Akhtar Hussain Butt, Adv Shaik Saroori, Waseem Sajjad, Abdul Gani Shah and others.
