A complete shutdown was observed at Katra in Reasi district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir against the anti-people policies of the authorities According to Kashmir Media Service, the shutdown was observed against a proposed ropeway project in Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hills in the district. Shopkeepers and other stakeholders also staged a protest rally in the town and dispersed on the assurance of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board that the second meeting will be held with them next month to address their concerns before starting the work on the project. The shopkeepers and other service providers are apprehensive that the construction of the ropeway will render them jobless. They are also concerned about the ongoing work on the Delhi-Katra Expressway, and said an attempt is being made to connect the road directly to Tarakote and sideline the historic town of Katra.

After taking out a rally in the town, the protesters staged a peaceful sit-in outside the shrine board office and later a group of them met the officials before dispersing off peacefully. Meanwhile, frustrated by a continuous 17-day water crisis, residents of Magam, Budgam, took to the streets, staging a protest against the Jal Shakti Department for its failure to ensure a regular supply of drinking water to the area. A group of irate residents gathered at the premises of the Jal Shakti Department, Handwara Division, expressing their discontent with the department’s perceived inefficiency in resolving the prolonged water scarcity. Voicing their frustration, protesters raised slogans against the Jal Shakti department, emphasising their dissatisfaction with the handling of the water supply issue. The residents claimed that the area had been grappling with an acute shortage of water for the past 17 days, yet the authorities had not taken any effective measures to restore the water supply.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)