STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Reiterating invitation to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to visit Jammu and Kashmir at this juncture of unprecedented crisis, National Conference on Monday said that border-dwellers were suffering and dying due to shelling from across the border and the Valley reeling under unabated unrest for the past three and half months, said National Legislators from Jammu, Devender Singh Rana, Provincial President and MLA Nagrota, Javed Rana MLA Mendhar and Dr. Kamal Arora, MLA Bishnah in a joint statement.
The NC MLA’s of Jammu province expressed anguish over the Prime Minister not showing urgency in reaching out to the suffering people and attributed the lack of New Delhi’s concern to absence of ground situation from the PDP-BJP government, “The situation is terribly grim and if Modi doesn’t find it appropriate to make a personal reach out at this time then when shall he prioritise Jammu and Kashmir”, the statement added.
The National Conference reminded the Prime Minister of his assurance that Jammu and Kashmir will remain his top priority and regretted that he did not find it appropriate to be amid the people during the current turbulent times.
“The Valley is suffering acutely and the people along Line of Control and International Border are fleeing homes and hearths for safety”, they said while expressing their grief over the killing of three civilians besides the jawans of army and BSF”, they said adding that spilling of blood, be it that of a civilian or a soldier, is agonizing.
Referring to the volatile border situation, the National Conference lawmakers ridiculed PDP-BJP coalition for failing in raising shelter-sheds or bunkers and initiating the process of allotment of plots to vulnerable segments of the border people. “The apathy is all the more condemnable, as the state of Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi are ruled by the BJP led NDA”, they said.
The National Conference legislators of Jammu volunteered to part funds out of their Constituency Development Fund for raising these life-saving facilities for the border residents. “Let the CDF funds and the allocation under Border Area Development Programme be utilitised under convergence to have shelter sheds and bunkers”, they said, urging the government to initiate immediately the process for allotment of five and ten Marla plots to the residents of forward areas in safer zones.
The National Conference MLAs expressed solidarity with the suffering people, especially thousands of families relocated in camps and assailed the government for leaving them in lurch.
The called for upgradation of border roads on immediate basis, saying the experience of the past two months has been horrible in carrying the injured to nearest hospitals due to dilapidated road links. They said the government has surrendered on the front of governance, as its visibility is not seen anywhere on ground.
