Tension in J&K's Kathua as mob torches truck alleging cattle smuggling
Jammu, Dec 3: A mob set blaze a truck alleging that cows and buffaloes were being illegally transported in the vehicle and tried to block Jammu-Pathankot highway in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, prompting the police to use batons and fire teargas shells to disperse the violent protesters, officials said here.
Tension prevailed in Hiranagar area after the incident in village Pathwal and additional police personnel have been deployed there.
A group of people stopped the truck carrying eight cows and buffaloes in the village around 1050 hrs and set ablaze the vehicle after "rescuing" the animals, an official said.
According to police, the driver and the conductor of the vehicle abandoned it on noticing the mob and escaped.
It was not immediately clear whether the animals were being transported legally or not, but the protesters blocked the main road demanding stern action against the persons accusing them of bovine smuggling, the officials said.
A large contingent of police was rushed to the village to restore order but the protesters refused to disperse and also tried to block the Jammu-Pathankot highway near Dayalachak, after which the cops fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse them, an official said, adding two persons suffered minor injuries in the violence.
"The situation in the area is tense but under control," the official said adding the traffic on the highway was going on smoothly.
A case was registered in this connection and further investigation is on, the officials said.
Kathua is about 80 km from Jammu.
Meanwhile, police in nearby Samba district arrested two alleged bovine smugglers and rescued 16 animals which were being transported illegally, a police spokesman said.
Amandeep Singh, a resident of Jammu, was arrested after police recovered 16 animals from his truck which was coming from Kathua side at Nonath on the highway, he said.
The spokesman said a case under relevant sections of law was registered against the arrested driver for transporting animals without permission.
In another such incident, he said police rescued three bovines from a Jammu-bound vehicle at Gujjar Basti Tanda during checking.
The driver, Abdul Majid, was arrested and a case was registered against him, the spokesman said.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
