Srinagar
Scores of people from Machil area, stranded in district headquarter Kupwara owing to closure of the only link road connecting their border sector, staged a protest against ‘misbehavior of deputy commissioner’ with them.
Reports said that a group of people from Machil area approached the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara to apprise him about the inconveniences faced by people due to the continuous closure of the Machil-Kupwara road since last two weeks.
“Today morning at around 11:00 am our delegation were allowed to enter the office of the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara. Soon after we raised the demand of continuous closure of the Machil road, the officer shouted at us and asked to get out from the office (Dafa Hojaw)”, Ghulam Hassan Tantray, a resident of Ring Balla said.
The delegation left the office and staged the protest by shouting anti-DC slogans and demanded his immediate removal from the district.
“We are requesting the government and particularly the Minister for Law Abdul Haq Khan to intervene into the matter and transfer of the DC who misbehaved with us,” the angry protesters said.
They said that if the DC seems that the Machil was not the part of his jurisdiction and don’t want to listen to the people of the far-flung areas then “higher authorities of the government to annex Machil with Pakistan administered Kashmir so that we may not suffer anymore.”
“This is the height of injustice. DC did not listen to us and such officers should not be given such posts,” the residents said.
The protesters also alleged that an educational institute namely Government High School Ring Payeen Machil was closed since the schools in the Valley reopened. The staff has been changed in recent reshuffle of the teachers and the new staff was yet to join the school as such the school is closed.
“We have brought the issue before the concerned CEO but to no avail,” the protesters alleged and demanded the immediate restoration of the road so as the students and the people of the area do not suffer anymore.
When contacted Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Khalid Jehangir, he refuted allegations and said that 200-300 delegation’s visit his office daily and he has never misbehaved with anyone, the news gatherer quoted DC saying.
“I am here for last 10 months and I have never ever misbehaved with people,” he said.
Regarding the road, he said that the thoroughfare was intermittently closed in wake of the avalanche warnings issued by the government for the safety of people. “We are not closing the road for fun but for the safety of people,” he added.
