Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 8: Former Minister and senior Congress leader, Sham Lal Sharma, today said that the BJP leaders’ attitude towards Jammu is more harmful than natural calamities.
The Congress leader was addressing a monthly meeting of Block Congress Committee (BCC) at Akhnoor. He said that due to recent thunderstorm and heavy rains, the houses as well as crops of the farmers in Akhnoor area have been heavily damaged.
“The power and water supply in the area was also heavily affected due to thunderstorm and has not been restored even till date”, he said and lambasted the Government for adopting indifferent attitude toward Jammu region. He urged concerned departments to undertake urgent repairs in war footing bases so that people may not face any further inconvenience.
Sham lambasted PDP-BJP Government on passage of amendment of Panchayati Raj Act 1989 and termed the amendment as “Assassination of Democracy”. He said that this amendment will not facilitate horse trading, dis-empower the panchayats but will also dilute their powers.
On the issue of Transfer of Property Bill, Sham said that the bill is against the people of Jammu and he demanded its immediate withdrawal. “By approving the said bill the BJP-PDP Government has betrayed the people’s mandate because the said bill is very much against the interest of people of Jammu region”, he added.
The former Minister also expressed his anguish over the release of stone pelters on the occasion of Eid. He said that this step will not only decrease the morale of security forces but will increase the incidents of stone pelting in coming days. Sham further said that those who were arrested in Amarnath land row in Jammu are still in custody and have not been released, which is a great injustice to the people of Jammu.