SRINAGAR: For over a fortnight, the Kishtwar District Development Council (DDC) chairperson Pooja Thakur has been staging daily sit-ins at the district headquarters to demand jobs for the local youth in four under construction power projects in J&K’s mountainous district.
Talking to this newspaper, Pooja Thakur said she alongwith other DDC members barring opposition BJP members braving cold weather conditions are staging sit-ins for ensuring rights of local youth. “I am an elected representative and I have to highlight the public issues. The educated youth in the district are unemployed and such is the scenario that a youth, who has done MTech is now working as a delivery boy,” she said.
Pooja, who is from National Conference and was elected Kishtwar DDC chairperson, has been staging sit-in protests since January 19. She said four companies – JP Associates, Patel, LNT and Escon are working on four power projects in the district and unfortunately not a single youth from the district has been appointed by these companies.
At least four power projects including 1000 Mws Pakal Dul hydroelectric project, 624 MWs run-of-the-river Kiru hydroelectric project and 540 MWs Kwar project are coming up in the district. According to Pooja, she has been telling the administration to make the agreement signed with these companies public.
The DDC chairperson had a meeting with Divisional Commissioner Jammu Dr Raghav Langer the other day. “He was talking as if he was representing the companies. When we told him that there should be job generation, he told us that these are not MGNREGA works but these are construction of power projects and skilled workers will be needed,” she said adding, “We have got many civil and electrical engineers in the district. We have got skilled youth in Kishtwar.”