Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 29: Massive protests continued for second consecutive day today in Wagoora area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla against the Government order of placing a Tehsildar in Kreeri village in the district.
Around four thousand people including women from over 45 villages of Sangrama constituency assembled at Wagoora Chowk today demanding revocation of the order and granting Tehsil status to Wagoora due to its central location in the area.
“Our protest will continue till the order is revoked. Government has ignored the report of Cabinet Sub-Committee which has approved Tehsil headquarter status to Wagoora,” said Muhammad Yaqoub Wani, a protestor.
Protesters burnt effigies of the local MLA, Basharat Bukhari, and chanted slogans against the Revenue Department officials.
They tried to block the Baramulla-Srinagar National Highway but police and CRPF personnel used tear smoke canisters to disperse them.
In 2007, the then Government constituted a Cabinet-Sub Committee headed by then Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, with Cabinet Ministers Nawang Rigzin Jora, Hakim Muhammad Yasin and Qazi Muhammad Afzal as other members to decide location of the Tehsil Headquarters.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee in its report decided to establish the Tehsil headquarter at Wagoora, which fulfills all requirements for Tehsil including Naib-Tehsil Office, Block Development Office and other top administrative units, the locals said.
However, the officials of Revenue Department last week issued the order to post Tehsildar at Kreeri without considering the Cabinet Sub-Committee report.
Meanwhile, Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) president Engineer Rashid in a statement issued here has condemned use of force against the protesters at Wagura and has asked the Government to show maximum possible restraint while dealing with peaceful agitators. “It will be proper for the Government to constitute a commission that must comprise of neutral officials and should give a patient hearing to the concerned parties before reaching to any final conclusion,” he said adding.
“If major political parties and other stake holders do not restrain from politicizing and personalizing these issues of sensitive nature, the state will witness more violent conflicts within people here.”
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