Srinagar: Days after the state government announced setting up of proposed AIIMS in both divisions of Jammu and Kashmir, various social, political and religious bodies demanded setting up an IIT, IIM and IIMC for the Valley to end the “regional imbalance” and ensure equitable progress in the state.
The demand for setting up of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in the Valley gained momentum after the Industries and Commerce Minister Chander Prakash Ganga, on June 11, announced that AIIMS would come up in both the region – Jammu and Kashmir. The Centre announced setting up of AIIMS and the top management and engineering institutes in the state during the Union Budget earlier this year. However, the issue of setting up of the proposed AIIMS in the Valley led to protests in Jammu in support of the demand for the establishment of the premier institute there.
Ruling PDP MP Tariq Hamid Karra welcomed the move of setting up of AIIMS in Jammu but demanded IIM and IIT for the Valley saying “Kashmir also deserves the same and should not be discriminated”.
He asked mainstream and separatist parties, traders’ bodies and civil society to unite in seeking the IIT and IIM for the Valley as well. Expressing deep concern over the way distribution of educational institutions have been politicised in the state, Senior CPI(M) legislator M Y Tarigami and another MLA Hakim Mohammad Yaseen urged the Union government to work on equitable infrastructure development and employment generation so that a workforce is produced which could ultimately find job opportunities anywhere in the world.
“There should be no regional imbalance or inequality in the developmental initiatives and infrastructure building otherwise the same can brew up an atmosphere of mistrust and alienation,” the legislators said in a joint statement here.
While supporting the demand for establishment of AIIMS in Jammu, the duo demanded that IIT, IIM and IIMC be established in Kashmir for equitable progress in the State.