Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 8: Advising his Cabinet colleagues from BJP to desist from making irresponsible and confusing statements, Minister for Public Works, Floriculture, Gardens & Parks, Syed Mohd Altaf Bukhari today said that he was shocked over the remarks of Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh that Rs 3600 crore were sufficient for the rehabilitation of flood victims in Kashmir.
Reacting to the statement of Dr Nirmal Singh during his recent interview with regard to the rehabilitation package for flood victims of Kashmir, the PDP Minister said that the remarks of Deputy Chief Minister have shocked him not only as a Minister but in capacity of a flood-victim, who has personally witnessed the scale of devastation during September 2014 floods.
“Even Rs 44,000 crores financial package as was proposed by the previous Government is in no way sufficient to compensate the losses suffered by the people during devastating deluge in September 2014. Dr Nirmal Ji’s figures have shocked me as I don’t know where from he got these superficial statistics,” Bukhari said while advising his Cabinet colleagues to desist from making irresponsible statements that create confusion among flood victims of Kashmir.
He said that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s endeavour is to address the legacy of loss which is coupled with a sense of alienation due to decades of neglect, lack of development, empowerment and employment in all the three regions of the State. “Our Common Minimum Programme that aims at good governance and building bridges to narrow down the gaps should have been our guiding principle. I would humbly request my Cabinet colleagues again to refrain from creating a precarious situation that will lead us nowhere,” Bukhari added.
Expressed his deep disappointment on trivializing establishment of AIIMS, IIT and IIM in the State, R&B Minister said that despite huge ideological and political differences, PDP had joined hands with BJP to give Jammu and Kashmir a new direction under the leadership of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, whose vision is to bring people closer by bridging regional gaps within the State.
“Instead of adhering to Mufti Saheb’s vision of togetherness and equal opportunities, it seems our fellow colleagues are bogged down on issues of derived importance. I would request my colleagues in the Cabinet to stick to and implement Mufti Saheb’s agenda of peace, political stability and the development rather than crying hoarse on issues of secondary importance,” Mr Bukhari remarked.
The PDP Minister further said that for Mufti Sayeed, forging an alliance with BJP was not to seek power but to respect the fractured verdict that provided both the parties an opportunity to script history by addressing trust deficit between the people of regions and sub-regions in the State. “I would request my Hon’ble colleagues that instead of propagating their divergent opinions to prop up chaos and confusion, they should contribute in implementing Mufti Saheb’s inclusive agenda of growth and prosperity,” Mr Bukhari maintained.
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