KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
National Conference Provincial President and MLA Nagrota Devender Singh Rana on Sunday hoped that the Union government will take call on the demand of Jandrah people for either allowing them constructions and renovations on their own lands located in the periphery of the ammunition depot even if it requires to amend the archaic 1903 Act, which is being projected as impediment in doing so.
“If that is not possible then the State Government must take up with the Centre the relocation of the ammunition depot somewhere closer in the immediate periphery in wilderness so that no population is affected,” Rana said while addressing a huge gathering here.
“The people are highly indebted to the army for its huge contribution during the hour of need but at the same time they expect it to shoulder its social responsibility by mitigating sufferings of the locals, and becoming a partner in their social development and growth,” he maintained.
He said the people are not averse to the presence of ammunition depot provided it does not become a bottleneck for their unhindered living. “The houses constructed decades earlier need renovations from time to time apart from new constructions in the wake of growing families,” he said.
Rana felt that there should be no problems in allowing the new constructions, additions and alterations besides renovation of old structures, given the fact that the army itself has raised multi-storeyed apartments for the staff with facilities like schools and gas agency. He said assuaging the aspirations of the locals will go a long way in further strengthening the civil-military liaison. He said the people of Jandrah are genuinely feeling aggrieved and want their sufferings to end which have accumulated since they rented out their holdings for setting up of the ammunition depot in 1964.
To the issue of recruitment of porters etc in the ammunition depot, the Provincial President reiterated his demand of probing into the growing complaints about the process and sought engagement of locals, especially those whose lands are under the use of the depot. He said providing jobs to those who lands are being used by various governmental agencies for creating certain facilities is a norm across the country and this should be applied in Jandrah also.
The MLA Nagrota said that the people of his constituency enjoy a very formidable relationship with the armed forces, as many of them were either serving or retired. “To promote this spirit and further strengthen bonds of brotherhood, the problems of the people are needed to be addressed earnestly”, he said and made a passionate appeal to the Centre to intervene for sorting out the issue without further delay.
Responding to various other issues of the locals, Rana assured that these will be taken up with all concerned for early appropriate action. He said the issues with regard to speeding up of various projects have been emphasised on the concerned agencies.
