Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 29: Opposing the move to establish Army firing range in Akhnoor, the residents of the area protested in large number under the leadership of former Minister and senior Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma and blocked Jammu-Poonch highway for several hours today.
The villagers claimed that the proposal would be a threat to the lives of thousands of people and their property. While addressing huge gathering Sham Lal who was leading the protest lambasted BJP MLAs, MPs and former Ministers and said without their consent this SRO 462 wouldn’t have been published, which clearly states that any type of land either agricultural or non agricultural can be used by Army for firing range or other warfare purposes. He termed this move as “a forced acquisition.”
The Congress leader said that this land acquisition is not at all ethical and is the result of a game plan of BJP where not only BJP MLAs but BJP Cabinet Minister’s are equally responsible in creating this “do or die” situation for the people of Akhnoor”, he added.
Sham Lal said BJP has backstabbed people of Akhnoor as the notification which was taken out was published in such a way that it could not catch enough public attention. This was intentionally done in order to escape any public objections which further proved to be a hassle free procedure for land acquisition by Army.
He further said that the people to whom the land in question belongs to are poor families and their livelihood mainly depends on the produce of land. He said that the concerned people are having very meager portion of land on which they are fully dependent. The people of Akhnoor have faced the brunt of all Indo Pak wars thus their present economic condition is very bad. He said not an inch of land will be allowed to acquire forcibly.
Sham Lal later presented a memorandum to Governor, Divisional Commissioner and DC Jammu through SDM Akhnoor against this forcible land acquisition.
Those who spoke on this occasion included Manjeet Singh PCC general secretary, Kuldeep Raj Verma Ex Vice Chairman OBC, Ram Swaroop, Subash Langer, Convenor, Block Congress Committee members and many Sarpanchs.
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