Srinagar, March 29: Lashing at the central and state governments for turning down a mega water-supply project in Katra town, a BJP legislator today walked out from the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, BJP”s Reasi MLA, Baldev Raj Sharma raised the demand of the shortage of water supply to the town, which is the base camp fo Mata Vaishnodevi for the past several years.
He said that state government had decided to set up a mega water supply project to cater to the needs of the town, which is thronged by over 80 lakh pilgrims annually.
Responding to the protest, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Taj Mohideen said that the Central Government has rejected the project and efforts are being made to arrange funds to meet the water shortage.
Angered over this, the MLA stood up again and said that the Centre and the State Government are discriminating with Hindus shrines in the state and depriving the holy town of required water supply would not only affect residents but also pilgrims from across the country visiting the Katra town for the Vaishno Devi yatra.
Sharma claimed that Katra requires 20 lakh gallons of water per day to cater the pilgrims but it is getting only 3 lakh gallons and the devotees have to purchase water bottles.
He created uproar for a few minutes and later staged a walkout.
Meanwhile, the assembly was adjourned for ten minutes to arrive at a consensus over the hike of salaries of Legislators in the state.
Soon after the cut-motion, Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madani adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes to hold a meeting of the legislators for arriving at a consensus.
The leaders of PDP, NC, Congress, JKNPP, JSM, PDF, CPIM including the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohd Sagar, Deputy Chief Minsiter Tara Chand held a meeting in the chambers of the Speaker.
Later the House resumed and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar brought bill with amendments and tabled in the House. The bill was unanimously passed.
——–PTI