Locals protest move to establish firing range in Akhnoor

Opposing the move to establish Army firing range in Akhnoor, residents of the area today protested in huge numbers under the leadership of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) senior vice-president Sham Lal Sharma by blocking the Jammu-Rajouri highway for four hours.
Villagers said the proposal would be a threat to the lives of thousands of people and their property.
Sham Lal Sharma lambasted BJP MLAs, MPs and ministers and said without their consent this SRO 462 wouldn’t have been published, which clearly stated that any type of land either agricultural or non-agricultural could be used by the Army for firing range or other warfare purposes.
Sham Lal termed it as “a forced acquisition” where the acquiring authority has formed the intention to acquire agricultural land, regardless of how the person whose land is ought to be acquired is affected.
“This land acquisition is not at all ethical and is the result of a game plan of the BJP where not only BJP MLAs, but also BJP Cabinet ministers are equally responsible in creating this do-or-die situation for the people of Akhnoor,” he added.
Sham Lal said the BJP had backstabbed people of Akhnoor as the notification was published in such a way that it could not catch enough public attention. “This was intentionally done in order to escape any public objection, which further proved to be a hassle-free procedure for land acquisition by the Army,” he added.