STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A three-day Jammu Bandh from June 19 has been called by an apex body of civil society groups here to protest the reported move to shift a proposed unit of the premier medical institute from Jammu to Kashmir Valley.
“The AIIMS Coordination Committee, during its meeting, decided to call for a complete Jammu Bandh for three days from June 19 to June 21 to protest against the shifting of AIIMS from Jammu to Kashmir,” Abhinav Sharma, President of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association Jammu said.
He said various business organizations, which form the part of the AIIMS coordination committee, have supported Jammu bandh.
The AIIMS coordination committee, an amalgam of more than 70 social, religious, political, business and civil society groups including the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Jammu, has been spearheading the agitation over the reported move to shift the proposed AIIMS from Jammu to Kashmir Valley.
On June 12, the Committee members started an indefinite relay hunger strike, which entered fifth day today, on the issue.
“The hunger strike will continue until and unless the government concedes to the genuine and just demand of the people of Jammu who have been a victim of discrimination,” Sharma said.
Meanwhile, announcing the schedule of Jammu Bandh, Chairman AIIMS CC and President Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) Jammu, Abhinav Sharma said that the 72 hours long Bandh is a warning to the state coalition that if it failed to concede to the twin demands including establishment of AIIMS in Jammu and early completion of Artificial Lake on River Tawi, the people of Jammu Province will be constrained to go in for an indefinite Bandh.
On the occasion, he also announced a Public Relation Committee comprising former Bar Association President, B.S Slathia, President Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Rakesh Gupta, Chairman Passenger Transport Welfare Association, Trilochan Singh Wazir, President, Oil Tankers and Pump Owners Association, Anan Sharma, President, Shri Amar Kashtriya Rajput Sabha, Narayan Singh and Secretary General, Press Club of Jammu, Zorawar Singh Jamwal. He informed that the said committee will move out to district headquarters in the entire Jammu Province to garner public support for setting up of AIIMS in Jammu.
Earlier, in the morning the AIIMS CC members accompanied by senior Congress leaders including senior Vice President Sham Lal Sharma, former minister Raman Bhalla and former minister Manjit Singh blocked Tawi Bridge.
Those who sat on chain hunger strike on the fifth day included former member Public Service Commission and retired IAS, K.B Jandial, Dr C.L Gupta. SoS International, Chairman, Rajiiv Chuni, J.S Mangal, Roshan Lal, Dr K.C Sharma, Roshan Malhotra, Vinay Sharma, Sanjay Kohli, Tilak Raj, Abhimanyu, Subash Chander, Rajesh Sharma, Gurmeet Singh, Balwinder Singh, Sunil Dutta, Bhai Ram Singh, Rajesh Suri, Harbans Singh, Sanjeev Suri, O.P Khajuria, Lalit Kumar, Rohit Khajuria and Sanjay Jandial.
“Enough is enough, the government in J and K is brazenly Kashmir-centric and anti-Jammu. The party which the enthusiastic people of Jammu province voted for in the 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections has cheated them in a most brazen manner,” said Abhinav Sharma.
“The people of Jammu province returned to the Assembly, 25 MLAs under the misguided notion that a vote for the BJP would be a vote for the Jammu province’s social, economic and political regeneration but the party after becoming part of the state power structure only humiliated them by handing over almost everything to Kashmir,” he said, adding that it sealed the fate of Jammu by giving over 70 per cent representation to the pro-self-rule and separatist-friendly PDP in the State Cabinet responsible for deciding issues of supreme importance to the well-being and happiness of people.
“The people of Jammu province were never treated so shabbily as it happened during the present regime,” he said and added that the plight of the people under the present regime has become highly pathetic.
“The so-called pro-Jammu party handed over to the PDP vital portfolios of Home, Finance, Revenue, Planning, GAD, Public Works, Education, Employment, Tourism, Agriculture, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Public Distribution System and so on, as also an additional AIIMS and Super Specialty hospital to Kashmir even before becoming part of the government”, Sharma said. He urged the callous authorities to read the writing on the wall and adopt a holistic approach to the issues confronting the people of Jammu province.
