Biggest challenge to get Statehood: Omar
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 2: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the hybrid model of governance in Jammu and Kashmir is not to anyone’s advantage and the systems work better when there is a single centre of command.
He told reporters in Srinagar that if the dual centres were effective tools of governance, they would have been everywhere. He, however, ruled out any confrontation with the Raj Bhavan.
“Systems work better when there is a single centre of command. For the UT, the dual centres of command are inbuilt. There have been differences of opinion on some issues, but not on the scale at which it is being speculated”, he said.
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Omar said the business rules for the Government would be framed after proper consultations and then sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The Chief Minister said that he was not the one to tell people not to go to the Raj Bhavan. “I would say people should go wherever they can get their issues resolved – be it in the Raj Bhavan or with the local MLA or the officers,” he added.
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Omar hoped that the UT status of the J&K is a temporary phase and that the Central Government fulfils its promise of restoring its Statehood.
“For us, the biggest challenge is to get our Statehood back. We the people are now expecting that the promises made to us will be fulfilled. The biggest promise is the restoration of Statehood,” he added.
“The Supreme Court in its judgement had also stated that the Statehood should be restored as soon as possible. One year has passed since and we think one year should be enough,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that it took them time to understand how the UT Government works. “We have been associated with the government earlier, but there is a vast difference between that form and the present form,” he said.
Omar said that his Government is bound by the election promises which the party made. “We have started the process of implementing some of the promises and for other promises, we need change in the system,” he said.
He said that his party’s manifesto was for a five-year term, not five weeks or five months. “Some issues were important to us and we fulfilled those, including the resolution on Statehood and the resolution on special status,” he said.
Omar said that there was no pressure on his party to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
“There was no truth in the rumours that the Central leaders of the BJP were trying to coerce me,” he said.
“They have stated they will respect the mandate of the people. Those spreading rumours that I will now join NDA and that I have changed my ideology, I cannot help that. I am here to work and I will work,” he said.
Omar said the sentiments of the people should be respected and their aspirations fulfilled.
“They have made promises and we have to give them a chance first,” he added.
He added that no Chief Minister of a UT is as empowered as the Chief Minister of a state. “That is a fact. There is no point in living in denial. If I were an empowered CM, why would I ask for restoration of Statehood.”
About his party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi protesting over the issue of reservation, Omar said the NC is a democracy and anyone has the right to speak.
“NC was often accused of being a family party. But we have always said that we are a democracy and everyone has a right to speak. Look at the positive side, how much change has come,” he added.
On anti-reservation, the CM said, “From a time when protesting was considered illegal, people protested and reached my door. We had a meeting afterwards.”
As far as reservation is concerned, I told the delegates that the cabinet sub-committee has been framed, the Chief Minister said.
The party expected that Ruhullah would hold a similar protest for the restoration of Statehood in Parliament as well.
He, however, said while we can fight the reserved and open category fight, “but first we have to save our jobs”. “What will we do when people from other places come here for jobs?” he asked.
Responding to a question about the Raj Bhavan not restoring public holiday on NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birthday on December 5, and July 13 as Martyr’s Day, the Chief Minister said it cannot erase the legacy of those who have made sacrifices.
“The legacy of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah does not begin and end on December 5. Same goes with the martyrs of July 13. When a farmer tills his land, he thinks of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. When a student receives free or subsidized education, it is legacy of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. The hall where we are sitting right now was his legacy as well,” he added.
“The holidays became a big story. Ideally, we would want to have them as they are emotionally attached with people,” he added.
Asked about difficulties faced by the candidates on account of police verification for appointments in the government jobs, Omar said although it is outside his domain as of now, he has discussed the matter with the CID chief.
“I have been saying this that a militant’s son is not a militant. Consciously, we did away with this blacklisting (in his first term as CM). We can only counsel about it right now. But I believe there is some relief. More will be done for them when we are a state,” he said.
The Chief Minister also said that his Government was framing a policy to address the situation of hoteliers in Gulmarg whose land leases have expired after they had opted for the now-disbanded Roshini scheme.
Responding to a question on the row over land acquisition for a campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Pulwama district, the Chief Minister said there is a need to find a balance between development and protecting our productive agricultural land.
“We cannot increase our land, development cannot stop. We will try to ensure that development projects are on non-productive lands as much as possible. I met a delegation from Pulwama and I said to them that if you don’t want NIT in Pulwama, we will take it to some other location,” he added.
“Not everyone is against development. There are other areas where we can locate this NIT. We will have to find a balance between development and protecting our productive agricultural land,” he added.
On the opposition’s allegation about a satellite colony being built, the Chief Minister said there is no such proposal on his table as he looks after the department.
“The people who are making the most noise were the ones who talked about greater Jammu and Srinagar,” he said.
Omar said if the townships would be built, they will just be for decongesting the Srinagar city.
“When we talk generally to the residents in Srinagar, they talk about decongestion. There is the problem of housing. 3-4 families are living in a single house, they say if they get an opportunity they would move to the suburbs,” he said.
“If the townships will be built, those will not be to settle the outsiders, but for the people of Srinagar, to decongest the city. But there is no such proposal or plan before the government yet,” he added.
The Chief Minister said his government will focus on reducing power distribution losses and expediting metering in the Union Territory to ensure more electricity supply for the people.
“Metering is an ongoing process, it is a part of the government of India scheme. We are committed to implementing it and we will. Obviously, the more metering that happens, the less pilferage there will be,” he said.
Omar said both the J&K administration and the Union Power Ministry are committed to advancing these reforms and ensuring their successful implementation, “which we will do”.
Further, the Chief Minister said J&K is spending Rs 9,500 crore a year to buy power from the Centre.
On the power cuts in Kashmir, Omar said the government is providing more electricity supply to the people than the previous year.
“…we are supplying 1,700-1800 MW electricity, but the unrestricted load is more than that,” he said.
He said the sooner the power projects in J&K are completed, the sooner more electricity can be provided to the people.
“Even if their generation in winters is low, we can bank the power generated during summers. We will try to bank more electricity in the summers every year so that we utilise it in the winters,” he said.
The Chief Minister said J&K’s AT&C losses are more than 50 per cent and efforts are on to bring it down.
“Other States have brought it down to 15-17 per cent. Our endeavour is to bring it down at least below 20 per cent so that we can supply more electricity to the people,” he added.
Asked about his poll promise of providing 200 free units of electricity, he said the scheme will be rolled out in March or April.
“What we have promised in our manifesto. That will only happen when there is (complete) metering. We measure units only when there is metering…,” he said.
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