‘Funds misused on Palli rally were sufficient to purchase power for three months’
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Expressing his serious concern over unprecedented power crises in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in general and Jammu province in particular, Congress workers regretted that the BJP-controlled administration has pushed this region into complete chaos and confusion.
“System appears to be completely collapsed as masses are struggling to get basic amenities like Bijli and Pani but those at the helm of the affairs are still in the deep slumber”, Congress workers said while addressing a massive protest of party workers at Jammu.
Hundreds of Congress activists under the leadership of Pranav Shagotra participated in a protest march that started at Exhibition Ground and proceeded towards the old city. Cops did not allow the protest march to proceed further and took all Congress activists into custody.
Lambasting the BJP-controlled for adopting the inhuman approach to provide power to the people amid scorching heat, protesters said that the helplessness of the J&K government to purchase power during summer is a clear indication that the present regime is least concerned about people.
“Instead of solving basic problems of the people, this government is busy is getting cheap publicity at the cost of state exchequer”, they said.
Pointing toward the recently held the much-publicized ‘Palli Rally’, they said that government funds, which were shamelessly mis-utilized for the political event were sufficient enough to purchase three months’ power to give a big relief to the residents of Jammu in the summer months. “According to a rough estimate minimum, Rs 100 crores were misused from the government’s exchequer for the political event just to give political benefit to the BJP”, Congress workers said, adding, “Had that amount spent on purchasing power, the situation would have been better in Jammu region”.
“For the coffer of the cash-starved Jammu and Kashmir, hundreds of crores were brazenly spent on the programme just to befool masses but nothing has been achieved”, They said.
“The publicity-hungry BJP controlled administration lacks funds to purchase power to give some relief to the people in summer but hundred of crores were spent on Palli-Chalo rally at the cost of the lives of the residents of J&K”, they regretted.
Congress leaders recalled that for the last three successive months BJP controlled administration has spent crores and crores of rupees on publicity to create a fake impression that the power situation has been improved in the Union Territory.
The protest was led by former J&K Youth Congress president and member of AICC Pranav Shagotra.
Those who participated included Hoshiar Singh Chib- Dict. Vice President Jammu Urban, Balbir Singh Sarpanch, Rocky Choudhary, Rajan Sharma, Rahul Tondan (DYC President), Gurpreet Singh, Sahil Savotra, Anil Kumar, Lucky Singh, Michael Wazir, Arif Malik, Sanjeev Bhagat, Ajay Gupta, Gurvinder Singh, Anubhav Sharma, Zohib Choudhary and others.