Srinagar: Soon after the culmination of mandatory Friday congregational prayers, the residents of Beerwah area of Budgam district staged protest against the government to press for their demand of a separate district.

The locals led by Youth Civil Society Beerwah (YCSB) assembled on the main road in the area and demanded granting of a district status to the area. 

The locals have been pressing for their demands from past four years.

However, the locals said that the authorities are paying no heed to their demands and have ignored them on all fronts.

The protesters complained that the area suffers from serious economic bottlenecks and is as such dubbed as ‘underprivileged and underdeveloped’.

“In view of the long pending demand of the masses and in the interest of the development of the region, we will continue to protest until our demands are fulfilled” Nazir Ahmad Sofi, General Secretary of YCSB said.

As per the reports, Beerwah commands a central position in the district and served as an administrative headquarters till 1892.

Following the demands of people, Beerwah was granted the status of Tehsil headquarter in 1962 and that of a sub division vide SRO 583 in 1971, however, that decision of the government was not implemented for unknown reasons.

Tehsil Khag, Magam, Narbal and Khansahib are the segments of Tehsil Beerwah and presently Beerwah has five blocks and 110 villages.

“We demand authorities to grant Beerwah a district status as it is one of the oldest Tehsils of Jammu and Kashmir. The demand of the locals is genuine and I support this demand,” Mirwaiz Central Kashmir, Molana Syed Abdul Lateef Bukhari said.

Notably, Tehsil Beerwah is the third Tehsil granted to Jammu and Kashmir and in late 2015 again a sub-division was granted at Beerwah in the reorganisation of the administrative units but still the sub-district offices are yet to be made functional.

“I have already appealed to the government for a separate Additional Deputy Commissioner’s office for my constituency till a separate District is allotted,” said Omar Abdullah, former chief Minister of J&K and MLA Beerwah.

“If government has allotted additional DC offices for Kalakote, Sunderbani and Nowshehra in Jammu, why can’t they allot it for Beerwah,” he added.

Guest