The Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), an amalgam of various trade bodies, today said they would seek international aid and hold protests in New Delhi if the Centre failed to announce a relief package for the victims of last year’s September floods by Diwali.
“In case the Centre fails to announce a relief package by Diwali, we will take our fight to New Delhi and hold protests at Jantar Mantar. We will also knock the doors of embassies to seek aid from foreign countries. We are also preparing letters that will be dispatched to the embassies,” KEA chairman Showkat Chowdhary told reporters here.
The KEA’s shutdown call against the government failure to suitably rehabilitate the victims on the first anniversary of floods on September 7 had received support from the National Conference and separatists.
Chowdhary said the Centre and the state should not take their warning lightly. “They should not take us lightly. Before going to New Delhi, we will also hold a grand procession and submit a memorandum to the UN office in Srinagar. The Centre had promised a (relief) package…it cannot backtrack now,” he said.
Questioning the ruling PDP, Chowdhary said: “The PDP is answerable to people in Valley. Before forming the government, the PDP had said it allied with the BJP so that the state gets liberal funding from the Centre….
”KEA spokesperson MY Chapri said the amalgam would announce more programmes in future to press their demand.
Chowdhary, meanwhile, urged the government to shift the Batamaloo bus stand to the nearby Tattoo Ground instead of shifting it to a far off place.
