Srinagar, Jun 04: Owners of N.S road construction company along with their labours and drivers on Friday staged a sit-in demonstration at the Jawabera Awantipora against the authorities for not allowing their heavy motor vehicles to go to the site of the hot mix plant of the construction company which is close to DPL Awantipora.
The partners of the N.S road company said they started working in Jawabera Awantipora in the year 2010 and the foundation of the DPL was laid in the year 2014, “till 2019 there was no objection from any side.”
They said that they have no objection certificate of over 14 departments and the Court in clear cut direction to police has asked them not to interfere in their work.
“In 2020, HMV was stopped, however, we approached high court, where then SSP Awantipora in a reply to the court said that they are never stopping them from work, however, they must work from 7 am to 8 pm, but avoid working in night hours due to security reasons,” they said.
“We accepted his suggestion with respect and stopped working during night hours but now the issue is that they aren’t allowing our heavy motor vehicles even in day time due to which our whole work is on halt,” they said.
“If police want to take our site, we welcome it, but they must provide us with any alternative site so that we can earn our livelihood.”
“We have taken loans and have been submitting interest only with no work on the ground,” they said, adding that if the condition remains the same then they had no option other than to commit suicide as they are on the verge of starvation already.
“We have been providing job to over 500 people but they are all sitting now idle as heavy motor vehicles aren’t being allowed on which our whole work depends,” they added.
The protesting drivers also said that they aren’t being allowed to go to the site, due to which they have no work and by this move authorities are playing with the livelihood of hundreds of people.
“This is our season and the government must allow us to work at the site, if they have any issues, they can provide us a new site,” they said.
A top police officer told KNO that due to security reasons that they aren’t allowing heavy motor vehicles to the site as gunman can easily attack district police line or nearby CRPF camp if he will be travelling in a heavy motor vehicle.
“The owners must approach District Magistrate Pulwama for alternative site and whatever support they need from our side police is ready to provide them,” he said. “There won’t be any compromise on security issue so they must approach civil administration to get their issue redressed”—(KNO)