STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Alleging collapse of the power infrastructure in Ramnagar Constituency, Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP Chairman and former Minister, denounced the concerned authorities for using disproportionate force against protestors seeking restoration of power supply in various villages.
He said that with power supply disrupted in more than 26 villages of the constituency for the last more than 18 days, the government functionaries had failed to respond to the critical situation prevailing in such areas.
He said that with majority of the villages of Dudu Basantgarh Tehsil and several hilly areas of the Tehsil Ramnagar having been plunged into darkness, the local administration had expressed its helplessness for paucity of resources.
He regretted that peoples repeated requests for restoration of danger network having fallen on deaf ears, there was no alternative but to avail of their constitutional rights of protests and demonstrations which too was being suppressed by the use of force.
Condemning the district and local administration Udhampur and Ramnagar for registering criminal cases against peaceful protestors, Singh cautioned the government to refrain from strong arm measures against the people agitating for power supply and connectivity.
He regretted that FIRs had been registered against peacefully agitating people of Chattrairi, Majori, Loudra, Punara, Rai Chak, Khaned, Mang Kaitha, Keya, and Balota Chigla who held protests on 27th, 28th and 29th of January seeking restoration of power in their respective villages, disrupted for past more than two weeks.
He said that most of the protestors were threatened of dire consequences for having raised slogans against the Coalition Government and local MLA by the department officials and BJP goons and subsequently booking them under various false and frivolous cases.
Cautioning the government against any kind of harassment and victimisation of the Ramnagar people exposing its omissions and commissions, Singh called for appropriate measures on war footing to mitigate the hardships of the people affected by recent rains and snowfall.
He warned of a full scale agitation in case power supply, ration supply and damaged roads were not restored at the earliest in Ramnagar constituency besides withdrawal of FIRs lodged against rural folk purportedly to silence their voice.
