Residents of Pahalgam protest against PDA, urging it to issue building construction permits or else face wrath

The villagers are threatening to come onto the streets and fire the Pahalgam toll post if they don’t get justice. The PDA is allegedly favouring hoteliers when issuing permits.

Sameer Ahmad

29 October,Anantnag: Several villagers of the Pahalgam area are protesting for the last four days against the PDA (Pahalgam Development Authority )for not issuing the building permit to reconstruct their deplorable houses here at tourist place in the Pahalgam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The villagers have been protesting against the Pahalgam Development Authority amid slogan chanting for four days now, and claim that the PDA shows favouritism for issuing construction permissions to only influential hoteliers and not to locals.

Villagers alledged that because of space restrictions in their houses, we are unable to construct our houses or repair them. Despite our repeated requests, the PDA is not issuing us building construction permissions. Others from different places come and construct buildings, while the locals aren’t given permissions even to carry out the repairs they need. we are seen on while multi-storied buildings are constructed in front of our eyes,” they said.

In accordance with the villager’s account, ‘we applied several times, for permission for building construction and repair, to the PDA Pahalgam Development Authority office, but all went in vain.’ If justice is not served, we will come on the streets and fire the toll post in Pahalgam, villagers said.

The villagers, however, claimed that it was unfortunate that the Pahalgam Development Authority refused us permission for construction and said it was in a buffer zone in Pahalgam. However, we are not sure how the PDA gives permission to those influential hoteliers whose buildings are also in the buffer zone area at Pahalgam, they said.

Village residents sought the LG’s intervention in the matter and requested that it resolve their issues.

In the meantime, Arising state tried contacting the CEO PDA, but the number was out of range.