Shiv Kumar Padha
In order to translate the resolve and commitment, of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister for ensuring equitable and Inclusive development in the country, Sab ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas the BJP government in the country and its coalition government with PDP in Jammu and Kashmir brought in an era of equal opportunities of employment, distribution of funds and equitable share in the developmental process for all the three region of the state. The Jammu and Ladakh regions of the state, which have been bearing the brunt of ethnic discrimination in the matters of employment and development under the yoke of Kashmir centric governments ever since the dawn of independence, have taken a sigh of relief after the formation of people friendly coalition governments in the state. The whole state in general and the Jammu and Ladakh regions in particular have registered development in both the horizontal and vertical directions. Apart from other things the state has been experiencing an incessant rain of AIIMs, IITs, IIMs, engineering and medical colleges under the centrally sponsored schemes for Jammu and Kashmir. Central government has been kind enough to approve one Ayurvedic medical College and the other Engineering college for Jammu region in addition to the already approved prestigious professional institutes for each region separately. But due to the partisan and the biased approached of our elected representatives the efforts have been made to make the already crowded city Jammu overcrowded by accommodating all newly approved institutes either in the winter capital or in the proximity of 50 to 60 Kms. Suiting to the interests of the powerful, influential MLAS and Ministers in order to prepare concrete foundations for the next general elections for the State Assembly while neglecting those rural constituencies of the state which are either represented by the gentle, week, less influential MLAs or by those who are outsiders and consider their constituencies as their colonies.
As it is rightly said, out of the frying pan in to the fire, the people of Jammu region had hardly heaved a sigh of relief after the liberty from the yoke of Kashmir centric rulers they easily fell prey to the discriminating attitude of the Jammu centric politics which always consider the development as the prerogative of only winter capital city and its surroundings. Every State Government, irrespective of the political party it belonged to considered the winter capital city as the whole Jammu region in the matters of development. The beautiful City of Temples is too small to accommodate state secretariat, state, division and district level offices medical college, hospitals, degree colleges, university campus, police, BSF, CRPF HQS, army cantonments. Durbar move and the migration of the rural population to Jammu crowds the already overcrowded city which results into the rush in the markets and public places, traffic hazards, shortage of accommodation and cost of land. In order to make City of Temples beautiful, clean, spacious and worth living the State Government will have to shed the population pressure from the small city and shift the focus of development from the Jammu city to the other parts of the region. The decision of the State Government to establish the approved Ayurvedic Medical college at Akhnoor, 20 Kmts. Away from Jammu city carries no sense or logic because;
* There are dozens of big and small Government and private hospitals, polytechnic and engineering colleges already functioning in the small beautiful city of temples.
* Ayurvedic Medical College at Akhnoor, GMC and Super Speciality Hospital at Jammu, AIIMS at Vijay Pur, GMC at Kathua and again centrally approved Engineering College at Janglote (Kathua) lie on the same national highway within a distance of 50 to 60 kmts.
* These institutes are situated in the plane areas of adjacent districts of Kathua Samba and Jammu can cater to the needs of the handful of the population who have also got the access to the prestigious medical and technical institutes in the neighboring state of Punjab.
It is obvious who will not prefer to have such type of centrally approved prestigious institutes established in their tehsil and town which fulfills all the requirements and have sufficient targeted population needed for it. The notion that the development, to have professional institutes, benefit of employment and medical and health facilities is the prerogative of only the big cities and towns in the proximity of summer and winter capitals of the state. Every town or city has got the right to stake its claim for their due and proportionate share in the development because 80 percent of the state population lives in the villages and rural areas. Before giving a final nod to the developmental programs in the state the government should take whole state under its ambit and should ascertain whether the suggested locations in the state do fulfill the needed requirements related to connectivity, geographical location, accessibility and the targeted area and population. The benefits of the institutes like AIIMS at Delhi and PGI at Chandigarh are not confined only to the limits of the state where they are located rather they are to be shared by the population living in its adjoining states as well.
According to Gandhi, “The future of India lies in the villages”. He came to believe that it was impractical for Indian cities to accommodate the burgeoning population in a dignified way.
Even after six decades of independence the people living in rural areas are reeling under poverty, want and hunger while their counterparts in the cities and big towns have got every type of comfort and facility. The resolve of the Prime Minister Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas- Equitable and inclusive development will remain a slogan written on the wall if our leaders do not shun the discriminating attitude towards the villages and the rural areas in future.
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