One policeman was injured after being manhandled by the protestors as the law and order situation escalated in the area, forcing the authorities to hold talks with locals to defuse the situation, PTI reported.
Hundreds of protestors chanted slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ as they held a march and sit-in in Katra, where the base camp for pilgrims visiting the shrine is located.
On Monday, tension escalated as a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle attempted to pass through the town when the dharna was underway. The protesters hit the vehicle and broke its windshield, officials said.
#WATCH | J&K: People hold protest against the Mata Vaishno Devi ropeway project, in Katra pic.twitter.com/soomGQqYCa
— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2024
#WATCH | Pony and palanquin owners hold protest against the Mata Vaishno Devi ropeway project, in Katra pic.twitter.com/cyMMuqMfmG
— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2024
Initially, a 72-hour strike, called by the shopkeepers as well as pony and palanquin owners, began on Friday, November 22, after the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board announced its plans to go ahead with the plan of ₹250 crore ropeway project between Tarakote Marg and Sanji Chhat along the 12 km long route.
On Sunday evening, the protesters extended the strike by 24 hours.
The shopkeepers and labourers feared the project, expected to be completed in the next two years, would render them jobless.
“The law and order situation has become challenging and we are trying to handle it. Officers are in talks with the protesters to resolve the issue,” PTI quoted Senior Superintendent of Police (Reasi) Paramvir Singh as saying.
Demands
The protesters demanded the administration close the project. Should it plan to go ahead, all those likely to get affected must receive compensation, the protesters said.
Tourists affected
On Sunday, the shops on the Yatra path remained closed, while the Pitthu-Palki services were also stalled.
Manish Sahni, the Jammu and Kashmir chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), also joined the protest and said that was a “threat of livelihood of thousands of shopkeepers, porters and horse service providers on the traditional route being affected.”
Sahni noted that while he was not against the development in the region, these things cannot be tolerated if religious faith is attacked and employment and trade get affected, according to Rising Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Jamwal reiterated that the administration should come up with a rehabilitation plan for the affected people.
