{"id":59006,"date":"2024-12-30T04:29:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T04:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/?p=59006"},"modified":"2024-12-30T04:29:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T04:29:54","slug":"anti-ropeway-protests-in-katra-escalate-as-deadlock-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/30\/anti-ropeway-protests-in-katra-escalate-as-deadlock-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Ropeway Protests in Katra Escalate as Deadlock Continues<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Katra<\/strong>: The anti-ropeway protests<\/strong> in Katra entered their fifth day<\/strong>, with no resolution in sight between the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board<\/strong>, the Reasi administration<\/strong>, and the Sangharsh Samiti<\/strong> led by Beli Ram Rana<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sangharsh Samiti<\/strong> is demanding the cancellation of the proposed Rs 250-crore ropeway project<\/strong>, which aims to connect the Katra base camp with Sanjhi Chhat<\/strong> near the shrine. They are also calling for the unconditional release of 18 youth<\/strong> detained during earlier protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protest Intensifies Amid Stalemate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The agitation, which began on December 25<\/strong>, was extended by another 72 hours<\/strong> on Friday night. However, no representative from the administration<\/strong> has approached the protesters for dialogue, according to Sangharsh Samiti members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here to watch video<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political Leaders Join the Protest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prominent political figures, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary<\/strong>, senior NC members<\/strong>, former BJP leaders<\/strong>, and Congress representatives<\/strong>, visited the Tarkote Marg area<\/strong>, the proposed site for the ropeway project. They later addressed protesters at Baba Shridhar Chowk<\/strong> and Shalimar Park<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In solidarity with the protesters, the local market remained shut<\/strong>, although some hotels and restaurants stayed open<\/strong>, causing discontent among youth on a hunger strike at Shridhar Chowk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assurance from Local Business Owners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rakesh Wazir<\/strong>, President of the Hotels and Restaurants Association<\/strong>, assured protesters that after December 31<\/strong>, no new bookings<\/strong> would be taken, and all hotels and restaurants would close to support the Sangharsh Samiti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Posters Reflect Frustration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Posters calling Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma<\/strong> \u201cmissing\u201d appeared in Katra, showcasing public frustration over the absence of their elected representative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deputy Chief Minister\u2019s Address<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During his address, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary<\/strong> emphasized that development must not threaten livelihoods<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
    \n
  • \u201cWhile development must be appreciated, it shouldn\u2019t harm any individual\u2019s livelihood,\u201d he stated.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Choudhary warned that the ropeway project could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands<\/strong> dependent on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage<\/strong>. He reassured locals of the NC leadership’s support<\/strong>, including Dr. Farooq Abdullah<\/strong> and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah<\/strong>, and pledged to raise the issue with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Choudhary also called for the release of detained youth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Support and Criticism from Local Leaders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Local MLA Baldev Raj Sharma<\/strong> supported the release of the detained youth but acknowledged resistance from some political leaders unless the ropeway project is cancelled<\/strong>. Despite this, he expressed continued support for the Sangharsh Samiti<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Former MoS and BJP leader Ajay Nanda<\/strong> criticized the administration for underestimating the resolve of the people of Jammu<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
      \n
    • \u201cThe administration thought that bringing in a new Deputy Commissioner from outside would end this agitation, but they were wrong. When the Dogras unite, they achieve the impossible,\u201d he said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      Participation from Opposition Leaders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Former Congress leader Jugal Kishore Sharma<\/strong>, who contested the Assembly polls from Katra<\/strong> as an independent, joined the protests, demanding the shelving of the ropeway project<\/strong> and release of the detainees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Senior Congress leader Yogesh Sawhney<\/strong> and J&K Congress Sewa Dal Chief Vijay Sharma<\/strong> also expressed support for the demonstrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Pawan Khajuria<\/strong>, a former BJP leader, along with Parikshit Singh<\/strong>, DDC Jaganoo<\/strong>, addressed the protesters at Shridhar Chowk<\/strong> and Shalimar Chowk<\/strong>, where five youth are on an indefinite hunger strike<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Katra: The anti-ropeway protests in Katra entered their fifth day, with no resolution in sight between the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, the Reasi administration,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,4601,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59006","post","has-post-thumbnail","category-jammu","category-jammu-and-kashmir","category-kashmir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59006"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59008,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59006\/revisions\/59008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}