Excelsior Correspondent
MENDHAR, May 3: Villagers from Bhata Kas, Topa and adjoining areas held massive protest demonstration and blocked Mendhar-Poonch road near Sakhi Maidan for about 3 hours today.
The villagers in large number assembled at Bhatta Kas near Sakhi Maidan under the leadership of prominent local leader Mohd Hussain Bhatti and raised barricades on main Mendhar-Poonch road via Krishna Ghati, about 4 km ahead of Mendhar town. The people were raising slogans against the PMGSY authorities and Numberdar Khushal Hussain. These people were protesting the delay being caused in the completion of Bhatta Kas- Topa road.
Over 300 odd villagers blocked road at around 8 am and suspended the traffic on this busy road. They sat on the road and continued protest. They alleged that earth work on first 6 kms road was completed but Namberdar Khusal Hussain was not allowing work on next 4 km stretch as he was demanding change in the alignment of road project. They pointed out that PMGSY like hapless agency was mute spectator for the last over 4-5 years and no progress on this road stretch was visible. They demanded that road should be completed at the earliest without making any change in the alignment.
As a large number of vehicles got stranded on this busy road, Tehsildar Subhash Dogra and SHO Mendhar Insp Barqat Qureshi reached the spot at around 11 am. They pacified the agitating public and assured that they will take up the issue with the concerned authorities and the construction work will be resumed on the project shortly.
With the assurance of visiting officers from the Administration, the villagers lifted dharna and allowed movement of vehicles. They told that people will wait for one week and if no action was on the ground was visible, the people will again come out on the road.
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