Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 8: Seeking the introduction of the bill for delimitation of Assembly constituencies in the current Assembly session of the State as assured by the BJP-PDP Government in the Agenda of Alliance, a strong contingent of Panther activists led by Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and other leaders staged a vociferous protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground, here today.
The angry protesters while raising anti-Government slogans torched the effigy of the BJP accusing the Saffron party of surrendering the issue of delimitation before the Kashmir centric leaders for petty political gains.
Harsh Dev Singh said that it was high time that coalition govt. initiated measures for removal of regional imbalances and end of regional bias in conformity with its elections time promises. He said that the exercise of delimitation involved a passage of a bill in both the houses of legislature by amendment of Sec 47 of the State Constitution, followed by constitution of Delimitation Commission as envisaged under the Representation of Peoples Act with ultimate delimitation process involving delimitation of constituencies, re-adjustment of territorial boundaries, rotation of reserved seats, identification of seats for fresh reservation, reservation of seats as proposed for women etc.
Flaying the neglect of the ruling coalition to take up the Jammu related issues for implementation, Singh said that assurances for delimitation and for ending regional bias were not only doled out by the central BJP leadership but the BJP’s vision document released during Elections also categorically promised early delimitation of Assembly constituencies in J&K so as to ensure justice to Jammu region with 33% seats reserved for women, five seats for displaced persons of PoJK out of 24 seats reserved for them under sec 48 of the State constitution and 3 seats for Kashmir migrants out of 46 seats earmarked for Kashmir.
He further said that Kashmir region despite well developed communication links and a high road density has one Assembly segment for every 346 sqkms area, but contrarily Jammu region with its highly tough terrain and acute accessibility problems and an extremely low road density has one assembly segment for every 710 sq kilometers.
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