STATE TIMES NEWS
VIJAYPUR: Hitting out at PDP-BJP Government for unleashing a nightmarish era in Jammu and Kashmir due to inept policies and administrative inexperience, Sr Vice President National Conference and former Minister Surjeet Singh Slathia on Thursday said that situation is so dicey that the people across the State were finding themselves trapped in a dark tunnel with seemingly no way-out in sight. “The mess created by the insensitive and inefficient coalition has manifested in worst-ever crisis in Kashmir and total administrative failure in the Jammu Division”, Slathia said while addressing a huge public meeting at Ban in Vijaypur this morning. The former minister squarely held the present dispensation responsible for obtaining morass, the State is undergoing as a result of politico-administrative mismanagement. He expressed serious concern over deteriorating scenario in the Valley, saying Jammu was no less suffering with people having been subjected to abject neglect. “While basic minimum necessities like power and drinking water remains a far cry, notwithstanding the current humid monsoon, the threat of flash floods looms large over the residents of the Vijaypur Constituency in absence of adequate protection Bunds on Nallahs and streams”, he said and referred to the damages caused to crops and property during the past two years. This year also, he said, the condition of various utility services has gone from bad to worse. He said the administration is in a virtual dysfunction due to lack of political direction. Making a mention of lofty promises made by the BJP during 2014 Assembly elections in the area, Slathia asked the mammoth gathering whether their bank accounts were debited with Rs 15 lakh and jobs given to unemployed. He said the benefits of various schemes were accruing to chosen few with poor of the poorest finding himself in lurch. He referred to provision of rations under CAPD and said that the Below Poverty Line rationees were running helter skelter, the creamy layer, especially the supporters of the ruling alliance, were being given subsidised rations. He alleged bungling in preparation of ration cards and demanded end to ‘pick and choose’ mechanism on political affiliations. He also referred to scarcity of kerosene oil and denial of inputs to farmers, delay in release of pensions to different categories of identified beneficiaries and wages to daily rated workers, saying the government had failed on all fronts.
The former minister cautioned the administration to realise their responsibilities and stop testing patience of the people, lest they resort to agitation by coming on streets. “For such a scenario, the government and the administration will be squarely responsible”.
Dwelling upon the failures of the present dispensation, Slathia asked the government to spell out what they have done in the past two and half years. He said this dispensation has miserably failed in creating a transformer bank, as a result of which electricity remains snapped in various areas after damages to the transformers. Same is the condition of civic amenities and various other utility services while development has taken reverse moment. The sound developmental edifice laid by the previous National Conference led government is being undone. He said there is nothing like the government, as the administrative presence on ground is zero. He mentioned about acute water scarcity in Gurah Slathia area where people were getting tap water once a fortnight. Same is the scenario is almost all the areas, he maintained.
Slathia gave a resume of the works and projects taken up during six years of the previous government and said that as a minister and a legislator he ensured coordinated development in the constituency. “We did not only strived and succeeded in getting adequate funds for the constituency but also made optimum use of the Constituency Development Fund of various MLCs and nominated MLA”, he added. He, however, regretted that the BJP was taking the Vijaypur constituency to backwards. He sought cooperation of the people to strengthen National Conference at grass roots for achieving the objective of peace and holistic development of the constituency. The rally, joined by thousands of men, women and youngsters, was also addressed by State Vice President Rattan Lal Gupta, Chairman SC/OBC Cell Babu Rampal, former MLA Bimla Luthra, District President Jammu Urban Dharamvir Singh Jamwal and others. They eulogised the dynamism with which Surjeet Singh Slathia steered the Vijaypur Constituency to pinnacles of progress and development besides generating avenues of employment in the area.
