Several arrests made after construction workers assaulted in Pulwama

Pulwama, Apr 14 : The Jammu and Kashmir police has arrested several persons from Bujibagh village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district for assaulting workers of a construction company who were extracting sand from Jhelum on contract basis for a government department.
Mudasir Hussain, who drives a sand excavator for Hassan Road Construction Company ( HRCC), said that their agency has been given a sand extraction contract from Jhelum at Bujibagh village by Executive Engineer Srinagar Smart City Limited.
He added that they have been given disposal permit from District Mineral Officer , Geology and Mining Department Pulwama for lifting sand from Jhelum at the site after no objection certificates from all concerned government departments.
“Yesterday we were working when some persons emerged from nowhere and started pelting stones on our machinery,” he said, adding that the stones were pelted on them without any provocation.
He added that they somehow managed to flew away from the site but the machine suffered damages.
He said that they brought this issue into the notice of police and local political leaders including BJP district president for Pulwama, Mohammad Latif Bhat.
He demanded a strict action as per law be taken against assaulters and they be asked for compensating the damages done to the sand excavator.
BJP district president Pulwama, Mohammad Latif Bhat, said that some miscreants misled locals of Bujibagh for undue interference with government work.
“ The sand is being extracted for Srinagar Smart City Project under proper permission from the competent authority,” he said, adding that workers of the construction company were assaulted by the miscreants and damages worth 2.5 lakh were caused to the sand excavator.
He appealed to people not to interfere in government works and demanded strict action against assaulters.
Senior Superintendent of Police for Awantipora, Aijaz Ahmad Zargar said that they have already registered an FIR in this regard and some persons have been arrested.
District Mineral Officer, Geology and Mining Department Pulwama confirmed that a disposal permit has been granted to Executive Engineer Srinagar Smart City through HRCC for extraction of 5000mts of sand from Jhelum at Bujibagh.