Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 8: Kashmiri migrants today blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and resorted to demonstrations to protest against long duration power cuts in Jagti Township on the outskirts of the city.
Over 2,000 strong crown including men, women and children took out a protest rally from Jagti Township and marched towards the Jammu-Srinagar Highway blocking it at Kol Kandoli (Nagrota) on the outskirts of Jammu city this morning.
Waving the Tricolour and raising slogans against the authorities in general and Power Development Department (PDD) in particular, they sat on a dharna on the Highway and held protest demonstrations against 16-hour power cuts to the Jagti Township.
The Highway remained blocked for four hours forcing authorities to allow traffic on alternative link roads on the Highway and the Nagrota By Pass to avert problems to the commuters traveling to Kashmir Valley and other parts of the Jammu region.
Though the local authorities tried a lot to persuade the protestors to lift the road blockade but they did not budge and warned to continue the dharna till a written agreement is made by the authorities that there will not be more than eight hour power cut in the township as is prevalent in other parts of Jammu.
However they later lifted the road blockade on the assurance of Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu. He assured the protestors that there would be no power curtailment till the issue is sorted out between the Jagti township inmates and the authorities.
“We are facing power cuts for 18 hours. We cannot sleep and perform normal activities in view of the major power cuts by the Government”, Jagti dweller Sunita Devi told reporters.
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