Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 11: Describing the abrogation of Article 370 as historic decision by the Government of India which will bring normalcy in the trouble torn State and usher a new era of development, Team Jammu has stressed for constitutional measures on the pattern of neighboring Himachal Pradesh to protect job security of locals and their cultural identity.
While addressing a press conference, Team Jammu Chairman Zorawar Singh Jamwal said that abrogation of Article 370 has ended the special status of elite families in Jammu and Kashmir, who had been directly or indirectly ruling the State and blackmailing the Centre for the last seven decades.
“On the name of special status, this handful of elite families had made the entire State their hostage and subjected people of Jammu to injustice and discrimination in every sphere of life, including development, employment, business etc,” he alleged.
Particularly highlighting the injustice meted out to West Pakistan Refugees, Balmiki community and gender discrimination under Article 35-A, Zorawar Singh Jamwal said there was no example of such human rights violations in a civilized society.
Predicting that abrogation of Article 370 and new arrangement of two Union Territories would help the Government to restore permanent peace in the trouble torn J&K and usher an era of development, the Team Jammu chief said that a new ray of hope has now emerged for Jammu people, particularly youth, who were earlier in dark about their future because of rampant corruption and nepotism in the State.
“Even as people of this region have been very rightly demanding separate Jammu State because of injustice meted out to them by the successive Kashmir centric Governments, we are hopeful that under the new arrangement, equal opportunities would be provided to everyone without regional discrimination,” he said while endorsing the Prime Minister’s announcement that statehood would be granted after restoration of normalcy.
While supporting the initiatives of Government of India, Team Jammu chief at the same time stressed that interests of local youth and cultural identity of Dogras must be protected under the new arrangement by introducing certain Constitutional measures on the pattern of Himachal Pradesh so that flood gates are not opened for land mafia and non-locals.
Similarly, he added, it must be ensured that ecology of J&K is not disturbed on the name of industrialization and hence only eco industries should be preferred to set up their units here.
Among others present were Er Chandan Datta, Arun Jojra, Tarlok Singh and Sunil Singh Raipuria.
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