The two-month old agitation in Jammu over the Amarnath land transfer issue was suspended today after the J&K government and the group spearheading the agitation signed an accord to allow the shrine board to make temporary use of 40 hectares of land in Kashmir during the Amarnath Yatra period.

The agreement was reached at dawn after six hours of talks between the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti and the four-member panel of the state government headed by S S Bloeria, Advisor to Governor N N Vohra.

Despite curfew being clamped in Jammu city and the Army being called out as a precautionary measure to prevent a “Vijay Rally” called by the Samiti — this was done in view of reports that militants could take advantage of the rally to strike — people took to the streets, congratulating each other and beating drums.

Briefing the press with Bloeria at the Government Guest House, Samiti convenor Leela Karan Sharma said the government had addressed their core demand of restoration of land and, therefore, they had decided to call off the strike and suspend the agitation. Their 14-point charter of demands would be examined.

Sharma said the state government will “set aside for the use by Amarnathji Shrine Board, exclusively, the land in Baltal and Domail comprising an area of 800 kanals”. He said it was agreed that the shrine board will continue to remain responsible for overall arrangement of the Yatra on both routes during the Yatra period, including all arrangements as mandated under provisions of the Amarnath Shrine Act, 2000. The Governor, he said, will continue to be head of the board, adding that all powers of the board, as they existed before the land row, will remain unchanged.

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