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Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 30: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today charged Pakistan with backstabbing India-whether it was Kargil, Pathankot and Kashmir unrest and said it was turn of the neighbouring country to extend hand of friendship to India if it wants peace in the sub continent. She batted for opening of Jhangar-Mirpur cross-LoC road in Nowshera sector, which she described as “dream” of former Chief Minister and her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Addressing gathering after inauguration of new block of Indira Gandhi Government Dental College (IGGDA) at Jammu and Government Degree College at Nowshera in Rajouri district, Mehbooba said Pakistan has backstabbed India on three occasions including Kargil, Pathankot and now Kashmir unrest and if the country was sincerely interest in peace it should come forward and extend hand of friendship to India.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat and Education Minister Naeem Akhtar among others accompanied the Chief Minister.
“Vajpayee went to Lahore and Kargil happened. Narendra Modi went to Pakistan and Pathankot happened. Now Pakistan is fuelling unrest in the Valley,” she said, adding India has extended hand of friendship to Pakistan sincerely but it was not reciprocated by the neighbouring country.
Taking on the separatists and other “influential people” fueling unrest in Kashmir, Mehbooba charged them with “driving innocent children and youth” to the path of violence by making them stone pelters and forcing them to target security forces and camps and police stations but, at the same time, sending their own kin to different parts of India for studies.
“What we will do with the Medical and Engineering Colleges, if they don’t produce doctors and engineers if the vested interests continue to drive children and youth to the path of stone pelting”?, she asked saying the Colleges are meant for studies to produce professionals and it should be duty of all right thinking people to send their wards to the educational institutions and not the “institutes of stone pelters”.
“Students shouldn’t be on the roads. Their place is in the educational institutions. If the students continue to be on the roads, there will be no doctors and engineers,” she said.
Taking “perpetrators of violence” to task, the Chief Minister called upon them to come forward and don’t hide behind the shield of youth and children.
“Let them come forward and show their real face to the people of Kashmir that they are making the innocent youth and children stone pelters by ruinning their careers of education,” she said, declaring that there will be no talks with those indulging in violence or instigating the youth to the path of stone pelting. “We will hold talks only with those, who give up the violence”.
Pointing towards the people of Nowshera, she said: “you people are lucky that your wards have books in the hands”.
She batted for opening of Jhangar-Mirpur road in Nowshera sector between India and Pakistan for both cross-LoC travel and trade and said she would take up the demand with the Centre once the situation normalizes.
The Chief Minister said some people are trying to take advantage of Kashmir unrest in the State and indulging in encroachments in the Valley while in Jammu also, the vested interests have started indulging in such illegal activities.
Asserting that she has constituted Flying Squads in Kashmir and ordered eviction of encroachments, Ms Mufti said so far nearly 250 such structures have been dismantled in the Valley alone.
“In Kashmir, while the situation turned bad, encroachment and illegal constructions were going on in and around Dal lake and other places,” Mehbooba said.
“Huge wrongs were done under the garb of this unrest. As people were engaged in protest rallies in Kashmir, some miscreants took advantage of it,” she said, adding shops and houses were illegally constructed and wood from forests was being smuggled.
“We have only land that is available to us where we can make projects in the future,” the Chief Minister said.
She said she had heard that “huge encroachments” had taken place in Jammu region also where some people took advantage of the unrest in Kashmir “as most of Government setup is focused towards it”.
Calling upon the civil administration to go hard on “land mafia”, the Chief Minister, pointing towards the Divisional Commissioner, said the administration should go all out against the encroachments and ensure that the people didn’t manage to take advantage of the Kashmir unrest.
“There are not only poor people who are engaged in encroachments but there are big guns engaged in these encroachments. You need to focus on them and remove encroachments,” she told the civil administration sitting in the function at the Government Dental College.
“The authorities in Jammu should take a call and ensure that the illegal constructions are removed and no fresh encroachment should come up,” Mehbooba said.
Referring to projects, the Chief Minister said several projects started way back in 2004-05 were still incomplete.
“When Jammu has 12 month working season and there is no shortage of funds from the Centre and the State, still the projects are pending for the years together. The administration must look into this and set the things right,” she said, adding that in some cases she was told that there was no land for the projects.
Mehbooba said though focus of the Government presently is on Kashmir due to unrest, “we can’t ignore Jammu region, which will continue to get full attention”.
“Please help the Government as Jammu and Kashmir is passing through tough times as we are working hard to bring normalcy in the Kashmir Valley. That does not mean that you will take benefit of that (unrest) and will do nothing here (in Jammu) by saying that nobody is watching us,” she said.
She said that “huge amount of money” has come from the Government of India for projects like hospitals, educational institutions and tourism, roads and there will be no shortage of funds “even if we keep spending” this money.
“Our primary job is to bring package and money from the Central Government, approve projects, but officers have to implement it on the ground in time-bound manner. You need to work on these projects whole heartedly and honestly,” she said here at a meeting.
She said there is delay whether it is identification of land or anything else.
Pointing towards Health Minister Bali Bhagat, Mehbooba said the AIIMS have been sanctioned by the Central Government but delay in identification of land for the hospital has kept the entire project hanging.
Expressing displeasure over the bureaucratic delays, she said, “Meetings after meetings are held and it is being said that it will be done in the next meeting. Why this delay?”
The Chief Minister told the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, pointing towards her: “you are the head of the region’s administrative setup and it is your duty to see what are the reasons that these projects are getting delayed.
“You will have to see why works have been halted after the project was approved, DPRs were made and work was started. If we work dedicatedly and honestly for completion of these projects in time-bound manner, the picture of Jammu and Kashmir will change for good in next four years.”
Describing the officials as “eyes, ears and arms” of the political leadership, Mehbooba said, “you need to deliver on the ground. The political bosses are temporarily in the governing setup but bureaucracy and officers are permanent. Today I am here, yesterday somebody else was here and tomorrow there can be anybody else but you all are going to stay here. So the responsibility is more on your shoulders for ensuring progress and development of the State.”
Asking officials to work with honesty and dedication, she told them, “the way you do your own home work properly and take urgent repairs of your homes in case of any damage, please work with such enthusiasm on the ground for whole of the State.”
An official handout said: The Chief Minister said education is a necessity for the development and growth of the country.
“It was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed sahib, who always said that if you want to build a strong community, you will have to nourish it with education and strengthen their power to think.”
“Education is a multi-dimensional development of self and the society. I am very happy that Jammu and Kashmir is moving forward in its journey of educational sector,” she said.
Quoting an Arabic verse, Mehbooba said “as the holy month of Ramzan is very important for the Muslim world, so is it important for boys and girls to get education.
“It was my Kashmiri Pandit friends, who used to swear in the name of education (vidhya), instead of family members, Gods and Goddesses. It was this tradition that was prevalent in the Valley of Kashmir,” she said.
Mehbooba said the Government is taking steps to create skilled and technical manpower in the State.
“The focus has to be on involving the principal stakeholders – the people of Jammu and Kashmir – in the resolution process to make it sustainable and productive,” the Chief Minister said.
She laid stress on revival and continuation of peace and confidence building process with Pakistan which had helped transform the situation in the State and along the borders between 2002 and 2005.
“The Government of India must, with fresh resolve, work through reconciliatory political measures and through public participation towards the resolution of the issue,” she said and added that Jammu & Kashmir could become a bridge of peace and a hub of economic activity in the region given its geostrategic location.
Calling for expanding the ambit and scope of the cross-LoC movement of the people and goods, the Chief Minister said the full potential of the State can be harnessed only through opening it up and empowering all the regions to benefit from the new market economy growing in the region. “For a lasting solution of the State’s problems, substantial political and economic measures have to be taken that meet the reasonable aspirations of the people in all the regions of the State,” she said.
Ms Mehbooba said even if Pakistan may be, due to own political reasons, presently reluctant to reciprocate the peace overtures from New Delhi, whatever can be done to address the internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue must be done without delay.
“Government of India shall have to take one or more steps than our neighboring country (Pakistan) as Jammu and Kashmir is our State and we have to apply balm on the wounds of the people,” she said and added that “we have to have a roadmap of hope for the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are embroiled in a challenging and pernicious situation”.
Reiterating that the Government is giving focused attention on education sector, the Chief Minister said the general education needs to be supplemented with skills to increase employability of the youth.
Referring to the new Degree College inaugurated today, Mehbooba said that the college will cater to the needs of higher education in the region and shall fulfill the long pending demand of the people of the area.
The Chief Minister said that the establishment of the Degree College at Nowshera will also help promote girls education. She added that the Government would prioritize establishment of girls’ hostel at Nowshera to facilitate the stay of girl students from the surrounding areas. She also said that certain steps need to be taken to develop a skill development initiative to enhance employability of the youth of the area.
Addressing, Deputy Chief Minsiter, Dr Nirmal Singh said that the establishment of the Degree College at Nowshera marks a milestone in the education sector in the area. He added that such works are a few of the many developmental initiatives that the Government is taking for the betterment of the State. He said this will also give an opportunity to the youth of the area to contribute towards nation building.
He said the State is steadily marching ahead on the path of development and is gaining a new identity as an important educational and healthcare destination with the opening of premier academic and professional institutions.
Dr Singh said the present coalition Government is working towards implementation of the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ and focused attention is being laid on meeting the developmental aspirations of the people.
Dr Singh said the Government has ensured that all the developmental works are expedited and timelines are strictly adhered to. He also highlighted the various important projects underway to explore the tourism potential of Jammu region and for providing better amenities to the people.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Bali Bhagat in his address said that the new block of the Dental College will immensely augment the dental health services and offer latest diagnostic and treatment facilities to the patients. He said year 2016 saw a tremendous growth in the field of healthcare services in the State in terms of infrastructure development and various premier health institutions in the process of coming up.
Bhagat maintained that the Government is making all out efforts to improve the healthcare facilities for the people and the five new Medical Colleges will supplement these initiatives in terms of providing quality education and medicare.
The Minister said that the Indira Gandhi Dental College is well equipped to carry out post-graduation courses and assured that soon the matter will be taken up with the concerned authorities.
While presenting vote of thanks, MLA West Sat Sharma said that the new block of the dental college shall help the institution to provide better facilities to the patients.
Addressing the gathering, Education Minister Naeem Akhtar congratulated the people of the area for having the new building of the Degree College at Nowshera. He said that the Government is making all efforts to streamline the education system in the State.
He said that out of 95 colleges in the State 54 colleges now have their own buildings. While as out of the 41 remaining 25 are under construction, he said and added that concerted efforts are being made to complete 13 college buildings this year. He also talked about adding professional courses in the colleges so as to enhance the entrepreneurial skills in the students. The Minister said that new faculty has also been appointed for subjects like English, Mathematics, etc and recruitment for other subjects is under process.
The new building of the Degree College Nowshera has been constructed by JKPCC and has come up at an estimated cost Rs 11.5 crore.
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