Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 15: Asserting that flood relief is no charity, NPP chairman and former Minister Harshdev Singh has strongly flayed the Union Government for its delaying approach in finalizing the relief package projected by the State Government amounting to Rs. 44, 000 crores for rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood ravaged State.
Addressing people at Ramnagar and Majalta today, the NPP leader said that the unprecedented floods in September last had caused colossal damage to public infrastructure, residential houses, standing crops, water and power sector, agricultural fields, trade and industry besides loss of hundreds of precious lives. He said though the Central Govt had recently sanctioned Rs 1120 crore for rebuilding infrastructure as against the projected damage of Rs 2926 crore, it had failed to address the State Govt’s projected damage of Rs 41,000 crore required for rehabilitation of all those affected by the floods.
He said that Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs on rescue and rehabilitation in the aftermath of floods had categorically asked the Union Govt not to shrug off its responsibility in re-building the flood ravaged State. The Committee had specifically instructed in its 182 page report to cover all aspects of the losses caused including damages to infrastructure and tourism.
Expressing grave concern over the plight of people whose residential houses had collapsed in the worst ever natural calamity, Mr Singh condemned the Govt decision to provide Rs 12,600 and Rs 3,800 as compensation for fully damaged and partially damaged Kachha houses in rural areas of the State particularly in Jammu region and strongly urged for increase in the amount of compensation. He demanded at least Rs 3 lakh for fully damaged houses and Rs 2 lakh for partially damaged houses.
Meanwhile, in a meeting of the Panthers Working Committee (PWC) held here under the chairmanship of Harshdev Singh, party advisor Bansi Lal Sharma strongly objected to the dilution of JKNPP into the so called JPUF (Jammu Pradesh United Front) which has not been conceived yet. He said the Panthers Party should take the lead for strengthening the movement for reorganization of J&K and strongly opposed its associating with so called JPUF. All the working committee members supported the this move.
The meeting was also attended by vice chairman BB Kotwal, State president Balwant Singh Mankotia (Ex-MLA) , State vice-president Mohd Iqbal, general secretary Anita Thakur, Yashpal Kundal (Ex-MLA), Jagdev Singh, Balwan Singh, Provincial president Rajesh Pargotra, Shiv Charan Singh, Ashfaq Rana, Ghulam Mustafa Wani, Paramjeet Singh Marshal, Sewa Singh Bali, Vilakshan Singh, Gagan Pratap Singh and R S Dogra.
Follow our WhatsApp channel