Tension gripped Mastandara village in Surankote when locals clashed with policemen on Wednesday.
Sources told Greater Kashmir that in the clashes one JCB machine was damaged while some policemen and locals sustained injuries after protesters resorted to stone pelting and policemen retaliated with baton charge.
Sources said that for the construction of road stretch from Mastandara main road to Edit 1 point of Parnai tunnel, a team of authorities headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner Poonch, Dr Basharat Hussain reached at the site of road construction and started work. However, some locals, who were already objecting to the construction of road alleging diversion in initial survey, reached on the spot and objected the road construction work again.
“Locals were alleging that the actual site for road construction is different and department is constructing road at a different site ” sources said.
They added that situation took an ugly turn as locals entered into a heated argument with the team of officers. Locals started protesting and tried to stall road construction work.
“Some locals pelted stones on the officers which drew retaliation by policemen, who used force to quell them,” said sources adding that soon after face off between police and locals, tension increased and locals continued to pelt stones on team of officers for over half an hour and police also used force against stone pelters.
Sources informed that later authorities stopped road construction work and officers interacted with people after which situation returned to normal.
The ADC Poonch, Dr. Basharat Hussain told Greater Kashmir that road construction work was stopped after tension and a meeting will now be held to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, as per an official, a 200 to 300 metres of stretch of road is to be constructed from main road to a hillbase from where a tunnel is proposed to be constructed.