THAKRIE/DRABSHALLA: Congress on Monday demanded granting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Pahari people in Jammu and Kashmir, saying any further delay on the issue would be against the national interest.
This was stated by Vice President J and K PCC, G. M Saroori while addressing the people at Mangthalla area of Tehsil Thakrie and Delhoti area of Tehsil Drabshallah in district Kishtwar.
Saroori said that the people, residing in the entire Chhenab Valley, Pirpanchal Range, border belts and Pahari-speaking part of Kashmir Valley, should be declared as Scheduled Tribe (ST).
“Over 30 lakh Paharis are facing discrimination and step-motherly treatment by the State and Central Government, they are not being granted ST status. Any further delay is not in the national interest,” Congress leader, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori said.
He said that more than two lakhs educated unemployed youth from the community are the most sufferers and can be misled or misused by anti-national and anti-social elements.
Lambasting on the so called leaders for playing cheap and dirty politics, Saroori said that the number of schemes in various sectors of development including health, R&B, water supply, power, education, agriculture and allied sectors during the last more than 12 years in district Kishtwar and Doda speaks loud and clear about the performance of Congress and response to the public demands.
“Some people for political reasons do not want to count the glaring achievements what I (Saroori) did from 2002 and attempt to divert the attention of the people from the massive development process taking place in the area. They still indulge in raising irrelevant slogans like discrimination”, Saroori said and added that he does not believe in propaganda because the work done on the ground itself speaks for its author and will leave no stone unturned to make Inderwal a model constituency.
Various demands and grievances were raised by people of Mangthalla and Delhoti which include non-payment of MGNREGA wages, better medical facilities, facilities regarding veterinary services, drinking water, better staff position in the schools, improvement in water supply schemes and replacement of old rotten wooden poles with steel poles.
Naib Tehsildar Drabshalla, Jagdish Raj, other sectoral officer and Sarpanchs and Congress leaders including Mohd Yusuf Shah, Jagdish Raj, Mohd Sikander Ahahnger, Ghulam Mouhi Ud Din, Mohd Rafiq Shah, Mohd Shafi, Mohd Latief, Abdul Gani Wani, Bablu, Gulab Singh, Bashir Ahmed Sheikh, Akhtar Hussain Khurwaey, Mohd Shafi, Ghulam Mustafa Lone, Bashir Ahmed, Mohd Ashraf Mattoo, Gulzar Ahmed Mattoo, Fareed Ahmed, Chowdhary Qasim Din, Zakir Hussain, Mohd Sharief Naik, Zubair Ahmed Najaar, Tanveer Ahmed, Mohd Yasin, Alaf Din and people in large were among those who were present.