Development poses a threat to livelihoods: Deputy Chief Minister
Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Dec 29: The anti-ropeway demonstrations in Katra reached their fifth consecutive day today, with a standoff persisting between the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, the Reasi administration, and the members of the Sangharsh Samiti.
Under the leadership of Beli Ram Rana, the Sangharsh Samiti has been insisting that the proposed ₹250-crore ropeway project aimed at linking the Katra base camp to Sanjhi Chhat near the shrine be scrapped. They are also demanding the immediate release of 18 youths detained earlier in the week during protests.
Initiated on December 25, the agitation was prolonged for an additional 72 hours on Friday night to urge the Shrine Board and the Government to heed their demands. However, according to members of the Sangharsh Samiti, no senior officers from the administration have approached them for meaningful discussions. Click here to watch video
In the meantime, several political figures, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, along with senior National Conference members, former BJP leaders, and Congress representatives, visited the Tarkote Marg area, designated for the ropeway project installation. They later spoke to the assembled protesters at Baba Shridhar Chowk and Shalimar Park.
In support of the demonstrators, local markets remained closed, though some hotels and restaurants operated as usual. This decision frustrated the youth on hunger strike at Shridhar Chowk, who urged hotel proprietors to shut down their businesses.
In reply, Rakesh Wazir, President of the Hotels and Restaurants Association, promised that after December 31, no new reservations would be taken, and all hotels and restaurants would close to support the Sangharsh Samiti’s cause.
Additionally, posters surfaced in Katra labeling Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma as “missing,” as protestors voiced their dissatisfaction with the absence of their elected representative.
During his speeches at Shridhar Chowk and Shalimar Park, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary stressed that development should not jeopardize the livelihoods of local residents.
He remarked, “While we must appreciate development, it shouldn’t endanger anyone’s livelihood.”
Choudhary contended that Jammu has suffered due to development initiatives that did not offer adequate rehabilitation to those affected, warning that the ropeway project could similarly threaten the livelihoods of thousands dependent on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.
He reassured Katra’s residents that National Conference leaders, including Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, would back them and pledged to raise this matter with the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, for resolution.
Choudhary also urged for the release of the detained youths.
Local MLA Baldev Raj Sharma endorsed the call for the release of the detained youths but noted that some political figures suggested the detainees would not be released until the ropeway project was canceled.
Notwithstanding this, Sharma expressed his ongoing support for the Sangharsh Samiti.
Former MoS and senior BJP leader Ajay Nanda criticized the administration for underestimating the determination of the people of Jammu.
He asserted, “The administration believed that introducing a new Deputy Commissioner from outside would quell this agitation, but they were mistaken. When the Dogras unite, they accomplish the unimaginable.”
Former Congress leader Jugal Kishore Sharma, who ran for the Assembly from Katra as an independent, joined the protests, demanding the cancellation of the ropeway project and the release of the detainees.
Former Minister and senior Congress leader Yogesh Sawhney, along with J&K Congress Sewa Dal Chief Vijay Sharma, also engaged in the protests to show solidarity with the demonstrators.
Pawan Khajuria, a former BJP leader who contested the Udhampur East Assembly seat as an independent, and Parikshit Singh, DDC Jaganoo, spoke to the protesters at Shridhar Chowk and Shalimar Chowk, where five youths are on an indefinite hunger strike.
