Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 3: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) today said that Kashmir has become a byword for underdevelopment, unemployment and widespread administrative inertia, saying the good governance claims of the Government have fallen flat.
This was said by the party general secretary, Ali Muhammad Sagar while addressing party functionaries at Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar. Ruing escalating development deficit, administrative inertia in Kashmir, Sagar said, “Tall claims of the GOI about good governance and bringing a seismic shift in addressing the concerns of the most vulnerable sections of society have fallen flat. The development deficit festering in Jammu and Kashmir ever since BJP came to power continues to affect each and every section of J&K’s economy, its administrative set up.”
He further added, “The people of Kashmir are being deprived of basic rights. unrelated bureaucracy has hampered the advancement of development motioned by the successive NC led governments from time to time. There is no escape from accepting the truth that deliberately, under a thoughtful strategy, the development of Jammu and Kashmir, the aspirations and dreams of people, are being suppressed and left unattended to by the incumbent ruling dispensation at New Delhi and J&K.”
Exhorting the party’s cadre to intensify public outreach, identify people’s grievances and submit those to the provincial headquarters so that they can be raised in Parliament and other forums.
In his address Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal said that the present bureaucratic setup is clueless in its dealings with the public. “People’s grievances are not being listened to. People are feeling let down by the administration. There is a growing chasm between the public and the administration,” he added, saying that the decision making process, ease of redressing people’s issues, accountability and answerability are a common site in all Government departments.
“The administrative and developmental inertia has led to a chaotic situation. People have no access to the top echelons of the administration, especially at a time when they needed them the most. People were completely left to their own fate during previous spells of inclement weather conditions. Their losses were left uncompensated. All sectors of public service like health, sanitation, power, public health engineering are in shambles and the people have been left in a lurch. This has to change. Having such a system in place in Kashmir perpetually will add to the mounting alienation in Kashmir,” he said.
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