Stranded Gurez residents protest, demand airlifting


Mir TariqB
andipora, Feb 28: People of Gurez staged protest demonstrations against the district administration for not air-lifting them to their respective places. They have demanded that authorities should make arrangement to airlift the stranded passengers at the earliest.
Hundreds stranded passengers of Gurez staged a sit-in dharna in Bandipora township, Thursday. Raising anti-administration and anti-government slogans, the stranded passengers were protesting against the district administration for not taking measures to airlift them to their respective places. “We are stranded in Bandipora since past 10 days. We are facing lot of problems. Hoteliers are over-charging us and we are running short of money now”, they said.One of the protestor, Javid Ahmed Mir said “Officers are not lending helping hand to us. They are only making false claims”.Another protestor, Nazir Ahmed said “The authorities announced two flights each for Gurez and Tulial respectively. When we reached helipad, we were left high and dry by the authorities”. “Ticket holders are not being air lifted,” the protestors alleged.Meanwhile, the people coming from Gurez have complained that flight officers are not lifting women passengers and patients.Talking to Rising Kashmir, Abdul Hameed Sheikh said, “Concerned flight officers lifted SDM Gurez but refused to airlift women and patients” It is here pertinent to mention that Gurez, a border tehsil of Bandipora, remains closed due to snow from December to May every year.The protestors demanded two daily flights for the Tulail and Gurez. Talking to rising Kashmir Deputy commissioner Bandipora Sheikh Mushtaq said “due to unavailability and technical faults in one of the helicopters, few passengers might have faced problems”He further said that the issue of two daily flights for Tulail is under consideration of the authorities.