Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 1: A group of residents from Eidgah constituency today attempted self-immolation to protest against their legislator for failing to address the drainage system failure in their area.
The angry protesters, including women and children, from Palpora, Eidgah assembled at Press Enclave here and raised slogans against National Conference member Mubarak Gul, their MLA, for submerging the locality with water as the result of drainage failure.
“The poor drainage system of the locality is the reason behind frequent water logging in the area due to which we are facing immense problems and some of the families migrated to other places,” they said.
As the protest intensified, few of the residents tried to set themselves ablaze by sprinkling kerosene oil over their bodies, but police interrupted them before they could succeed in their attempt.
“We feel ashamed when any guest visits us. Waterlogged roads have made movement difficult and risky. Compounds of our houses are damped due to over flow of drainage water. Children are not able to go to school,” the residents said.
Police later detained scores of men including those who tried for self immolation and asked women and children to disperse peacefully.
But the angry women and children again staged massive protests at historic clock tower “Ghanta Ghar” and started marching towards Kothibagh police station where their men were kept after detention.
They protesters refused to leave the spot till Mubarak Gul assured them to solve their problem. “Mubarak Gul is our concerned MLA, if he will not look after our problems we will launch anti-Gul campaign,” they said.
They said that before this water used to pass through a canal situated outside graveyard. But graveyard got damped with the water from the drainage.
“Now the care takers of grave yard are not allowing the water to pass through it and as a result water is now flowing on the roads and in the compounds of the houses in the locality,” they said.
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