Residents protest ban on entry of vehicles in Mubarak Mandi Complex

Demand removal of executive director of Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society

Local residents and the Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society (MMJHS) today had a tussle after the latter decided not to allow the entry of vehicles on the heritage complex, a move set off the debate against the alleged “partisan way of working of MMJHS”.
Residents of various localities, including Chowgan Salthian, Panjtirthi, Mubarak Mandi and Pacci Dhaki, supported by political groups, held a noisy demonstration on the heritage complex and threatened that they would not allow the implementation of “arbitrary” move of the MMJHS.
The protesters, comprising women, raised slogans against the state Tourism Department, particularly executive director of the MMJHS Rohit Khajuria, and demanded his immediate removal from the post for his alleged dictatorial way of working.
“The civil society and local residents were not taken into confidence before issuing the arbitrary orders that the MMJHS will not allow the entry of vehicles on the complex. The decision has been taken to harass the local residents. We will not allow this kind of dictatorial functioning. We warn the state government that the local people are ready for a long struggle if the decision is not revoked immediately,” Vikram Malhotra, a local Congress leader, said.
One of the protesters said, “The decision has been taken to curtail the public movement and harass the local people who have no other connectivity to their homes. We will not be able to easily shift our patients to hospitals from here if the MMJHS is allowed to restrict the entry of vehicular traffic. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is also holding the charge of the Tourism Department, and local MLA from the BJP, which is the ruling partner in the state government, should seriously look into the issue and direct the executive director to refrain from taking such ill-advised decisions.”
The MMJHS had allowed parking of vehicles of local residents on the historic Mubarak Mandi complex — the royal residence of erstwhile Dogra rulers in Jammu and Kashmir — due to non-availability of parking lots.