Intensifying their agitation for the demand of district status, people from Nowshera on Tuesday blocked the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway for more than eight hours.
The locals said that on Saturday, the government authorities had assured them that a decision over their demand will be taken till Monday evening, but nothing has been done. “Even Tuesday’s cabinet meeting ended without any decision in our favor,” they said.
According to sources, a large number of people, including college and school students, assembled at the main town in the morning and marched towards the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway. They blocked the highway at Nowshera Tain bridge. “The entire traffic on the highway came to standstill with commuters facing hardships,” said sources.
The protesters raised anti-government slogans while burning tires. At about 7 PM, they lifted their dharna and returned to the town area where a meeting was convened by Joint Action Committee to decide the further course of action. Till last reports came in, the meeting was going on.
Official sources informed that DDC and SSP Rajouri tried to pacify the protesters, but they refused to lift the dharna. It is pertinent to mention here that the bandh in Nowshera entered its 32nd consecutive day on Tuesday.
On the other hand, shutdown continued in Kalakote also and people of the area kept all their business establishments closed, while the chain hunger strike was suspended after intervention by the DDC and SSP Rajouri.