Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 5: Former Ministers; former Legislators and public deputations called on Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan here today and congratulated the UT Administration for the successful conduct of DDC elections.
A delegation of the National Conference, led by its Provincial President Devender Singh Rana, drew Lt Governor’s attention to the attempts being made to mutilate the mandate of the people by encouraging horse-trading of the recently elected Councillors, saying this is not good for democracy.
The delegation comprised former Ministers Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Surjeet Singh Slathia, Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari, besides former legislators Javed Rana, S. Tarlochan Singh Wazir, Rattan Lal Gupta and Sheikh Bashir Ahmed.
“Peoples’ mandate has to be respected”, the delegation said, adding that this is actually the message sent out by the electors, loud and clear. They lauded the efforts of the Lt Governor in ensuring peaceful conduct of the polls and said the promise of upholding democratic values has to be kept by foiling the machinations of reversing the will of the people. This is imperative for the larger interests of democracy, the senior leaders said.
They also referred to the impressive turn-out in elections despite weather vagaries and said this reflects peoples’ unflinching faith in democracy and the democratic institutions They said the deep yearning of the people in becoming part of decision making is healthy sign of democracy and this spirit is required to be upheld by foiling the attempts of reversing the popular will by undemocratic means.
The delegation also expressed concern over the Laweypora incident and brutal assassination of Satpal Nischal, a gold smith in heart of the Srinagar city and sought judicial probe into these incidents. They called for measures to instil sense of security and trust among the people,
The senior leaders also called for inter-regional, intra-regional and inter-faith community people to people dialogue in order to defeat the designs of the elements creating polarisation and divide in the society. Jammu and Kashmir has been known for peaceful co-existence of the people and no attempt of vitiating this atmosphere should be allowed. The dialogue between a cross section of people will help promote better understanding and harmony as respecting each others’ sentiments is imperative for healthy societal growth.
The Lt. Governor assured the delegation that the administration will play a non-partisan role in the establishment of the DDCs. He also assured transparent and fair conduct of enquiry in the two incidents referred by the National Conference delegation.
A public delegation led by Chairman, Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party and former Minister, Harsh Dev Singh submitted a memorandum of demands and development issues of district Udhampur, particularly, Basantgarh and other remote areas pertaining to Ayurvedic Dispensaries in Khaned and Rai Chak; provision of staff in NTPHC Dudu; staff for HS Dudu and HSS Garh Samnabhanj; strengthening of road network and development of Rasli Garderan as ST Model Village.
The former Minister also projected welfare issues of people belonging to Gaddi, Sippi and Koli community.
Similarly, former Minister, Sukhnandan Choudhary apprised the Lt Governor about various issues related to agriculture and welfare issues of people who have given their land for establishing pump sets, tube-wells and for other agricultural purposes.
Meanwhile, a delegation led by former MLC, Vibodh Gupta also met with the Lt Governor and congratulated him for the recently held DDC elections. The delegation hailed the elections as a historic event, and a sign of ascending peace, especially in Kashmir valley and lauded the Lt Governor led administration for the achievement.
While interacting with the delegations, the Lt Governor acknowledged people’s will and participation as a major factor behind successful conduct of the elections. He also congratulated all stakeholders for ensuring peaceful conduct of the elections.
The UT Administration is working religiously for establishing a robust democratic setup in the region and for leading the locals on the path of development, observed the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor said that J&K is witnessing a new dawn of development and within the next 3-4 years, the people of the UT will see the Metro rail services revolutionizing the transport network in the Capital cities.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) Leader, MY Tarigami also met with the Lt Governor and demanded that the councils be constituted at the earliest for the benefit of the masses.
The Lt Governor also congratulated both the delegations for success of the DDC elections and reassured that the UT administration is taking every step to empower and strengthen the grass-root democratic setup in J&K.
Lt Governor observed that killings of innocents are cowardly acts aimed at vitiating the peaceful atmosphere and political parties should outright condemn such incidents. He outlined that our Armed forces and Police are professionals handling their job, and they would always ensure safety and security of the public.
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