Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 5: Alleging that there was no firm commitment or assurance from the Dy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and other BJP Ministers with regard to the creation of district or post of Additional Deputy Commissioner for Nowshera, the members of Joint Action Committee from Nowshera today said that people of this area have been deceived twice and they are only waiting for the deadline of March 10, 2018 as claimed by the visiting Group of Ministers for the solution.
Addressing a press conference at Jammu Press Club today, senior JAC members Ravikant Gupta and Bharat Bhushan said that during 1936, before partition, Nowshera was a Niabat under district Mirpur ( Now in PoK). After partition it became tehsil as part of district Poonch. During 1968, at the time of MLA, Pt Beli Ram there was agitation for district. Rajouri people were also demanding the same. Amidst agitations at both the places, it was decided to create district at Nowshera. The then Govt created way out and said that DC will function at both the places in rotation. New Divisions of R&B, PHE, Irrigation etc were also created besides opening other offices. But the then Govt deceived the people of Nowshera and DC was not allowed to function at Nowshera as part of conspiracy.
Now, again the people of Nowshera have been deceived by BJP-PDP regime as after commitment by the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti during public darbar, ADC’s post was created for Kotranka. It is unfortunate that one PDP Minister from Rajouri managed to create ADC’s post for Kotranka that too, without Cabinet approval, but nine BJP Ministers are finding themselves helpless to create district or manage ADC’s post for Nowshera which deserves this status in all respects. The Govt should not test the patience of the people of Nowshera, as till today they are running peaceful agitation.
They said the agitation has entered 18th day. Shops and other establishments, banks, Govt offices are closed. People are facing lot of hardships but this Government, especially BJP leadership is not worried at all. Some daily earners are unable to feed their families. There is severe anger among the youth and women. They are waiting for March 10 as deadline given by the visiting BJP Ministers led by Bali Bhagat and State BJP chief, Sat Sharma. If they failed to take a decision by then, the Nowshera agitation may take dangerous turn and entire responsibility would lie on the Government, they maintained.
Ravikant Gupta said that Nowshera people were not against Kotranka people or others demanding ADCs’ posts but, in all respects, Nowshera’s claim becomes first and it deserved to be full fledged district. The people demand district for Nowshera, he added.
He said `Jail Bharo Aandolan’ has already been started and it will be intensified further. The agitation will be taken to the logical conclusion at any cost now. Vishal Gupta, Vivek Anand and Gagan Mahajan-JAC members also accompanied.