Jammu, Dec 7 (PTI) Dozens of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members on Tuesday staged a demonstration against alleged high-handedness of officers in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The protesters led by District Development Council (DDC) chairperson Pooja Thakur assembled outside the office of Deputy Commissioner and staged a peaceful sit-in to highlight their various demands including sanctioning of new works, the officials said. Thakur alleged that the officers are not cooperating with the PRI members and are not honoring their portfolios. "We are elected by the people and are answerable to them but the officers are not listening to us when we raise any public issue with them," she said. She said the protest was not meant to seek any personal concession. "We are habitual of working without protocol… when the government utilized crores of rupees for strengthening the grass-root level democracy, it is the duty of the administration to listen to us and address the public issues." Thakur said the Kishtwar deputy commissioner visited them and took note of their issues. "He assured us that the issues pertaining to the local administration will be resolved forthwith, while the issues which need approval at the highest level would be forwarded to the Lt Governor and Chief Secretary," she said. However, she threatened to intensify the agitation if their issues were not resolved in a time-bound manner. PTI TAS AB CK