Suhail Rather
Bandipora, 14 March: Scores of quarry workers protested in Saderkoot Bala village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday against continuing ban on stone quarry works.
Protestors consisting of men, women and children blocked the Srinagar-Bandipora road leaving dozens of vehicles stranded on the busy road.
The quarry workers shouted slogans demanding justice and revocation of the continuous ban on stone excavation by the government.
The protesters said that the move of the authorities had left them jobless and compelled their families to starvation.
They said their bread and butter is associated with this stone quarry from many decades and after ban, they have been rendered jobless as they cannot even do labour work in a small place like theirs.
Protesters said they are being forced to migrate in search of jobs that will further burden their pockets. "If we have option to earn next door why government want us to migrate to other places in search of livelihood?" Said a protesting youth.
“Our livelihood is being snatched. We all earn hand to mouth and if the ban persists where will we go? How would we feed our families,” said a local woman Gulshan.
