DPAP holds strong protest in Jammu against Ration curtailment, electricity, property tax, CUET exams

12-06-2023 : Democratic Progressive Azad Party on Monday protested in Jammu and submitted the memorandum of demands to the Divisional Commissioner Jammu seeking his immediate intervention to address the growing public concerns over the curtailment of Ration, price rise, rising electricity bills, CUET exams, and outsourcing of local minerals to outsiders.

The protest was led by Senior party leadership including R.S.Chib, G.M Saroori, Jugal Kishore Sharma and others.“ The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been pushed to the walls.  While on one side unemployment is on the rise, on the other side there is a steep rise in the prices of essential commodities. It is hurting the economic prospectus of common people,” said R.S Chib General Secretary DPAP. “As if it was not enough, the government has also curtailed the scale of ration to the APL category people which has impacted them adversely and forced them to buy rice in the open market at exorbitant rates,” he added. The DPAP workers later marched towards the Divisional Commissioner’s office where they submitted the memorandum for demands.

They demanded immediate roll back of all the policies of the government which allows outsourcing of resources.“ No resources shall be outsourced at the cost of local people. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have the first right over its resources, these resources have not been only building our economy but were fetching employment to thousands of people,”. G.M.Saroori said. The protesters also asked to exempt the people from electricity charges who have meagre income. Due to the mismanagement of the National Testing Agency in conducting CUET exams for admission in Graduate and post-graduate courses in Jammu and Kashmir, we demand that for this year CUET should not made applicable for students of J&K and request to allow the students to take admissions in different colleges and Universities of J&K on the previous pattern. Jugal Kishore Sharma said, “ The policy of installing digital metres is a good step but treating all in the same line irrespective of financial gaps is gross human rights violations. So we urge those who have less or meagre income to feed families must be exempted and provided free electricity,”. The economic condition of the people of J&K has gone from worse to worst, people are already under the burden of bank loans, unemployment is at a peak, people are in hand to mouth situation  and under these circumstances imposition of property tax is an arbitrary decision, such a decision otherwise has to be taken by an elected Government and moreover such taxes are to be passed by general council of Municipal bodies.

We strongly oppose the decision of imposition of property tax and request for its immediate roll back, also old age pension must be given and Kerosine oil and sugar should be introduced again said G.M.Saroori Vice Chairman. Among others present on the occasion were R. S Chib, General Secretary, Vice Chairman G.M.Saroori, Jugal Kishore Sharma Provincial President, Vinod Sharma Gen Secretary, Arvinder Singh Mickey Gen Secretary, Anita Thakur Gen Secretary, Ch. Gharu Ram Zonal President, Zonal President P.R. Manhas, Zonal President, Subhash Gupta Provincial VP, Brijeshwar Singh Indoo Distt President Kathua, Maheshwar Singh Gen Secretary Provincial, Ashok Bhagat Distt President, Gaurav Chopra Distt President, Hiralal Abrol Secretary, Masood Choudhary Secretary, Mrs. Prabha Salathia Mahila Chief, Gurmeet Kaur, Sunita Arora, G. Singh Majotra, Rajinder Singh Manhas, Anoop Khajuria, Vishal Chopra, Surinder Bhagat, Kulwant Singh Chib, Bishan Magotra, Suraj Prakash, Rattan Lal, Mohinder Sharma, Shammi Salathia, Zafarulla Sheikh, Sat Pal Mandi, Birinder Partap Singh, Viicky Mahajan, Ashok Khajuria and others