The way in which Small Grid Technology offer made by the Union Government has been knowingly wasted indicates not only and ineptness of the PDD but also reflects how viciously regionalism has overtaken the Government unwittingly. Yes, the Government wants and acts in a manner that development of all the three regions of the State should be just and equitable. But this does not mean to create a sense of partisanship in cases where, for definite reasons, a project would be floated by way of experiment at an identified site and region. For a long period people in Jammu have been alleging discrimination and under-investment in comparison to Kashmir Valley. Ladakh region has been vociferous against discrimination so much so that at one point of time movement for making Ladakh a Union territory gained strong support. But the State Government has been refuting all these allegations and bringing out data to show that all the three regions have been treated equitably.
People have the right to demand just and equitable share in development. They have the right to make peaceful demonstrations as provided in the constitution. The Governments try to justify their actions and decisions by taking shelter behind its concern for public good. In a democratic set up this is all fair and acceptable.
But we are rather confused why the Government should try to impose its views in a manner that reflects tilt towards regionalism at the cost of the entire State.
Let us concretize this analysis by citing an example. The Union Ministry of Power floated a project called Smart Grid Technology. The project was to select one town each from 20 States of the Union where it would introduce Smart Grid Technology by way of experiment so that if the experiment succeeded, more towns would be brought under the scheme. The benefits associated with Smart Grid include more efficient transmission of electricity, quicker restoration of electricity after power disturbances, reduced operations and management costs for utilities and ultimately lower power costs for consumers, reduced peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates, increased integration of large-scale renewable energy systems and better integration of customer-owner power generation systems, including renewable energy systems. This is a revolutionary experiment and keeping in mind the woes of power supply in the State, the scheme could be a great relief. As such, the State Government should have not only welcomed the scheme but grabbed it by teeth. The Union Ministry of Power had identified one town in the State, namely Katra, for trial. A budget of 80 crore rupees had been sanctioned for the project.
But instead of cooperating with the Union Ministry of Power in this experimental case, the State Government added three more towns, two in Kashmir valley and one in Ladakh for introducing the experimental exercise. This is not the first time that the State Government has been demanding a solitary project to be multiplied and extended to other regions of the State. It means that even in experimentation, the State Government goes by regionalism. The Union Ministry of Power refused to revise its experimental scheme to any other town besides the identified one. Obviously the cost factor must have played its role.
There is another sordid dimension to the case. On making ground study, the Union Ministry of Power found that the infrastructural requirements in Katra town on which Smart Grid Technology would be worked was hopeless and in shambles. The experts reported that in such a condition, experimentation of SGT could not be feasible. Notwithstanding this serious flaw, the State Government added three more towns for the purpose, which, in any case, would be in no wise better than Katra in terms of infrastructure. The net result of this big humdrum has been that the Union Government has withdrawn the scheme in the case of Jammu and Kashmir. Not to speak of four towns as demanded by the Government, not a single town will receive the benefits under Smart Grid Technology.
What the Government should have done was to accept the project for Katra, raise funds or seek loans to build up the required infrastructure in the town of Katra and then let the SGT scheme work for the town. This would give good results as desired under the scheme and then the next step would be to extend it to other towns in the State. What the Government has done is step-motherly treatment with Katra, meaning Jammu region, to say the least. These and other similar instances make the Jammu people cry that discrimination is rampant. In simpler words, the development of Jammu has been made hostage to the development of Kashmir whereas isolated development of Kashmir is rationalized by putting forward one or the other pretext.
The State Government needs to come out of a mindset that has been frozen into regionalism. Times have changed. Non-discrimination is one of the ingredients of good governance. Non-regionalism is important to maintain solidarity of the State. If instead of Katra, any town in Kashmir valley had been identified for the facility, neither the Government nor the people of other two regions would think of contending the measure. It is dangerous to play with the sentiments of the people of any one region of the State.
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