Excelsior Correspondent
SUNDERBANI, Sept 8: Former minister and DCC president Rajouri, Shabir Ahmed Khan and chief spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Ravinder Sharma, former MLC, today led a protest dharna at Siot by the farmers and land owners who are deprived of compensation for the widening of road to Rajouri.
A large number of people whose land, houses and shops are being demolished without prior payment of compensation assembled at Siot and took out a protest march from main road to Tehsil complex Siot led by Sharma and Shabir Khan demanding adequate payments of compensation as per market rate and new law before demolishing their properties and damaging their crops.
Prominent citizens and Sarpanchs, Panchs apprised the gathering that the people have not been paid compensation of the land already occupied for the road decades ago and they are again being uprooted without payment of compensation to the affected people.
The people alleged that Government is doing great injustice to them as neither the earlier compensation, nor present compensation has been paid and the assessment of the rate is totally against law. The rate per Marla is around Rs 10 lakh but govt has assessed it at rupees 4.70 lakh per Kanal/ 20 Marlas.
Sharma lashed out at administration for depriving rightful owners and farmers of their land and properties without paying compensation for decades and now again for expansion of the existing Sunderbani to Rajouri road. He demanded that the compensation should be assessed as per law laid down by the courts and the new Act and adequate compensation is the fundamental right of land owners.
Shabir Khan criticized the Government and the BJP for not taking care of the interests of poor farmers as the compensation should be paid first at the prevalent rates as per law enacted by UPA in 2013 which stands enforced in J&K also now. He regretted that poor people have not been paid compensation of the lands taken for the existing road from Sunderbani to Rajouri, for decades. Congress leaders urged the Lt Governor to intervene in the matter.
Sarpanchs Kishori Dutt, Satpal Damral, Block president Anil Khajuria, Vinod Sharma, Ram Lal, Ajeet Kumar, Deva Karan and others also joined protest.
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