Kashmir Impulse Desk

Kupwara, May 7 

Residents of Waskhura and nearby villages in Jammu and Kashmir’s Handwara area staged a protest on Wednesday against alleged dumping of garbage near Tarli Bridge, briefly blocking traffic on the Handwara-Ramhall road.

Protesters accused the Municipal Committee Handwara of indiscriminately dumping waste in the area, saying it had created environmental and health concerns for nearby communities.

Locals said several domestic animals had died after consuming waste discarded at the site.

“Today again, a cow died after eating garbage dumped here,” resident Mohammad Rustam Dar said during the protest.

Residents said they had repeatedly urged municipal authorities to stop using the location as a dumping site but alleged that no action had been taken.

They said the waste disposal was affecting daily life in the area, particularly schoolchildren and pedestrians using the route.

The protesters warned of further demonstrations if authorities failed to relocate the dumping site.

Police later reached the area and assured demonstrators that their concerns would be taken up with the relevant authorities, after which the protest ended peacefully and traffic movement resumed.