Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 5: Deploring the pitiable plight of labourers of Katra who included Poniwalas, Palkiwalas and Pithus, chairman of NPP Harsh Dev Singh expressed his solidarity with them while addressing a huge gathering of labourers at Katra today.
Mr Singh gave a patient hearing to a large gathering of ponywalas, palkiwalas and pithus and listened to their grievances in depth.
Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Dev Singh expressed his concern over the persistent harassment doled out to the aforesaid category of workers both by the Board authorities and the District administration by arbitrarily introducing and imposing stringent norms and lengthy procedures for the registration of the workers, animals and issuance of requisite I- cards.
He said that it was distressing to note that the said workers were being harassed in the process with I- cards of several of them declined despite fulfillment of all the requisite formalities. He called upon the SMVD Board authorities to ease the norms for registration as well as work conditions of poor labourers who belonged to different districts of Jammu division.
Mr Singh further said that in 2010 when the new track from Banganga to Adhkuwari was under construction, the Board authorities ensured the general public including Ponywalas, Pithus and Palkiwalas that the track would only be used for logistic purpose exclusively and would not be used for the holy Yatra. He said that since the Board had decided to introduce the Battery Car services on the new track, the source of bread and butter of Ponywalas and Palkiwals and Pithus was facing a grave threat. He pointed out that if the new track was allowed for yatra services, it would render more than 50,000 families hapless and jobless including hoteliers, dhabawalas, traders, shopkeepers and businessmen which would only aggravate the menace of unemployment in the region.
Mr Singh assured them all that Panthers Party shall stand by them in all odds and circumstances and urged upon the Governor to personally review the purported move of starting Battery Car Services on the new track.
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