CDF up, House Comm for hike in salaries
*Have adapted to situation but will win the match
*Let LoP settle people from Haryana in Kishtwar
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 20: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today announced that Roshni Scheme has to be introduced in new form even as he announced increase in Constituency Development Fund (CDF) of the MLAs from Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore, extension of amnesty scheme for domestic consumers of the Power Development Department (PDD) for one more year and setting up- of a House Committee to take call on hike in MLAs’ salary on the pattern of Parliament.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The series of announcements were made by the Chief Minister in his 70 minutes reply on debate for grants of his Departments in the Legislative Assembly. The grants were passed by the voice vote after all MLAs irrespective of their party affiliations withdrew their cut motions.
Click here to watch video
“Muzaffar Ahmed Khan (Independent MLA from Thannamandi) said Roshni was a good scheme. (Abdul Rahim) Rather and (Surjit Singh) Slathia were Ministers in Farooq Abdullah Government when the scheme was brought. It was decided that lease be converted into freehold but pre-militancy ceiling was laid as the condition,” Omar, who holds charge of Revenue department, said.
However, he said, the PDP-Congress Government removed the ceiling and so it couldn’t be defended in the High Court. Those who converted their lands got neither freehold nor leasehold. Roshni scheme has to be brought back in new form,” he said.
The Roshni Act was promulgated during Farooq Abdullah Government in 2001. The law granted ownership of Jammu and Kashmir State lands to unauthorized occupants of those lands with the aim of raising money for power projects upon payment of a sum to be determined by the Government. The cut-off year was initially set as 1990, which was extended to 2004 and again to 2007 by the PDP-Congress led Government.
In 2018, the Act was repealed by the then Governor and the CBI probe was ordered. On October 9, 2020, the High Court deemed the law and all allotments made since the beginning as “null and void” and “unconstitutional.
Asserting that CDF and salary of MLAs are important concerns of the legislators, Omar announced that the CDF will be increased from Rs 3 cr per annum to Rs 4 crore.
On salary of the MLAs, he said it hasn’t been increased from 2015 or 2016. Guidelines of the CDF will also be reviewed, if required.
“When the salary of MLAs was fixed at Rs 80,000 per month, the bureaucrats who were equal to them in protocol were getting similar salary. Now salary of the officers has gone up to Rs 3 lakh per month,” the Chief Minister said adding a House Committee will be set up which will have Leader of Opposition and leaders of other major political parties to study the Parliament pattern of hike.
In Parliament, he said, salary of the MPs is increased after every five years taking into account the inflation. Along with salary, pension of the MLAs and honorarium of their PAs will also be increased.
Announcing extension of amnesty scheme for domestic consumers of the Power Development Department, Omar, who has charge of the Power Ministry also, however, declared that there will be no amnesty next time.
He said interest of those availing amnesty scheme, will be waived off and principle amount will be taken along with rent per month. “This is seventh amnesty scheme and we call it one-time amnesty. Amnesty scheme is basically a punishment to those who pay their bills timely,” he asserted.
Referring to the speech of Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma who praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing J&K at par with rest of the country by abrogating Article 370 in 2019, Omar said though he is looking for spring outside, some things are not going to change inside the House – the verbal duels, ruckus and allegations.
“The LoP talked about equality in J&K after the August 5 development. I want to ask whether he feels that this Assembly is at par with other Assemblies in the country. Keep your hand on your heart and tell us whether we are equal to our neighbouring States,” he said.
Omar said then there was a talk about insulting the Maharaja. “When you do not have anything else to speak, they level this allegation. (BJP’s R S) Pathania accused us of insulting Maharaja. The fact is that it was they (BJP) which changed the map of his state and also the state subject laws which he had enacted to safeguard Jammu from Punjab investors.”
“Tell us under which law you were practicing in the court before 2019. The Ranbir Penal Code which was named after Maharaja Ranbir Singh. But today, you are no longer practising under RPC,” Omar said, as LoP Sharma quipped that now he (Pathania) is practising under ‘Bharat’.
“You people have changed the name so who insulted Maharaja. As per your speech, if the investors from Haryana and Punjab set up their units here it is good because this is one India. Give the same lesson to the people in neighbouring States, especially Himachal Pradesh.
“How much difficult it is to set up a unit in Himachal Pradesh is anybody’s guess… It is very easy to speak about equality but the reality is that equality is not there and we have been sold. A Sri Lankan cricketer was given land in Kathua but he withdrew. We have been saying from day one that it is not Kashmir which faces the threat but the Jammu region. The road to Kashmir goes through Jammu,” he said.
When the LoP said they are capable of dealing with it, the Chief Minister said “we have a concern because you’re not (capable)” and advised him to go through the history when Maharaja introduced the state subject laws to protect the people of Jammu from Punjab investors in 1927 and not Kashmiris.
“We are the ones who are not afraid of talking on any issue. Our track record says that we never escape a question and we are not the ones who demand questionnaires before an interview. We are not the ones who meet their favourites only. We are the ones who are always ready to face tough questions and give straight forward replies,” he said.
Stating that a person cannot be punished for crimes of his relatives, Omar said the CID would be asked to adhere to the recent High Court ruling on verification process. He added that the verification process cannot be used as a weapon.
“When we prevent anyone from getting a job on the basis of CID verification, it means we are using it as weapon,” he said.
Omar said the High Court rightly held in February this year that a person cannot be punished for crimes of his relatives. “There is no law anywhere in the world that you will punish a son for the crimes of his father. There is a principle: B cannot be punished for crimes of A,” he said.
Omar said that CID would be asked to be adhere to the High Court order on verification process.
In February this year, the HC held ruled that a criminal family background cannot serve as a valid reason for denying a passport application.
The CM said all pending cases of SRO- 43 would be cleared on urgent basis.
Meanwhile, Omar said he is not the one who starts one game and ends up playing another, and asserted that he has just changed his tactics. He expressed confidence of emerging victorious at the end of his term.
“The intelligent captain and player is the one who adapts to the situation and changes his tactics and not the game. I have not changed the game as I still wear the white cricketing uniform. I was doing fast bowling because the Australian pitches support the pace but the BCCI pitches are meant for spin and now I am bowling spin deliveries. The purpose is that we emerge victorious,” Omar said amid thumping of desks by the treasury benches.
He was referring to BJP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia’s speech on the grants. Mankotia had stated that Omar Abdullah had made election promises as a pacer and while at the time of delivering the promises after forming the Government he is behaving like a spinner.
Starting his over one-hour-long speech in Kashmiri saying “Wandi Tchali Sheen Gali Bei Ye Bahar” (the winter will be over, now snow will melt away and spring will return), Omar said, “We are not those who start somewhere else and then end up playing another game. We have come to play cricket and with the blessings of almighty will be winners after our five years term.”
“I do not have the habit of making a running commentary. I will do the same when you start speaking next time. You are advising others to remain silent during your speech but what are you doing yourself? I heard the speeches of 50 members from both sides,” the Chief Minister said, referring to interruptions by the LoP.
He said it is very easy for him to keep aside all departments and make a political speech but “that will be injustice with this house and with my own responsibilities.”
Omar acknowledged concerns raised by members, and highlighted economic disparities and employment challenges, particularly by the local youth.
Speaking on urban infrastructure, Omar said, “We built footpaths, yet people still walk on roads. We created cycle tracks, but motorcycles now occupy them. We constructed multi-level parking facilities, yet vehicles remain parked on the streets. Infrastructure alone is not enough. We need a collective shift in mindset.”
He also stressed the importance of decongesting cities through planned residential townships.
“We are not settling outsiders. When your government spoke of New Srinagar and New Jammu, no one objected. Our goal remains the same – to develop new residential areas and prevent urban decay,” he said.
He said restoration efforts are on at 33 heritage sites across the Union Territory with a budget of Rs 65 crore, and 73 more sites will undergo a sprucing up at a cost of Rs 170 crore.
“Heritage defines our identity. Projects like the Mubarak Mandi restoration must be completed soon. We cannot allow history to fade,” he said.
Omar stressed on the need for efficient governance and accountability in planning and finance. “The Planning department’s role is crucial. It is not just about drafting policies but ensuring their execution. We must reconsider the decision to merge planning with finance and restore its independent role.”
Speaking about properties lost after the reorganisation of J-K and Ladakh, he said, “The properties that are gone cannot be reclaimed, but we must make the best use of those that remain.”
A structure in Sector 17, Chandigarh, is being converted into a state guest house at a cost of Rs 13 crore and will cater to patients, students, and public representatives, the CM said.
Omar also spoke about the importance of going vertical due to space constraints, and cited as example Motibagh in south Delhi. He said there is an acute shortage of government accommodations, forcing many MLAs and ministers to seek private housing or live below their entitlement.
All the same, he condemned unauthorised occupation. “There are individuals who exceed their entitlement, and some who have no entitlement yet refuse to vacate. We are working towards enforcing discipline in this regard.”
Omar said building gondola alone won’t bring tourists and harped on an infrastructural overhaul.
“Building a gondola does not guarantee tourists will come. We need comprehensive infrastructure development,” he said, as he he flagged several MLAs’ requests for gondola in their constituencies.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Omar advised the MLAs to avoid making comments on religious affairs that hurt people’s sentiments.
He said that nobody should feel that they are not heard in this Government. He also expressed confidence of resolving the issue of 39 shopkeepers who have been served notice to pave way for construction of a flyover at Satwari Chowk here.
“They are using the word Jihad (holy war) in everything but they get angry when any other member speaks about their religion. It is better to avoid talking about something which hurts the religious feelings of others,” the Chief Minister said.
He was responding to a question about senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma using the term “legislative Jihad” to provide protection to alleged illegal encroachers during his speech.
“Every individual has a religious feeling and the BJP leaders were angry (in the House) because one member probably made some wrong statement which he should not have done. But what LoP wants to convey by using the word ‘Jihad’ repeatedly is that Muslims do not know anything except Jihad. This is also wrong,” Omar said.
On LoP’s remarks that people from Haryana are welcome in J&K, the Chief Minister said he has no objection if he settled them at his home in Kishtwar.
Meanwhile, the Assembly today passed grants of more than Rs 85,430 crore for 13 departments, with the Chief Minister highlighting the economic disparities that the region’s youth faces as compared to others in the country.
Of the total grant, the General Administration Department got Rs 594.31 crore, Planning and Finance got Rs 560.09 crore and Rs 62,703.47 crore, and Parliamentary Affairs, Law, and Revenue got Rs 70.83 crore, Rs 762.84 crore, and Rs 810.73 crore for Revenue.
Housing & Urban Development, Tourism, and Hospitality, Protocol & Estates got Rs 4,061.30 crore, Rs 612.80 crore, and Rs 466.83 crore.
Culture and Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction received Rs 204.59 crore and Rs 1,963.69 crore, in that order.
The grants, introduced by Abdullah on Tuesday, were passed after three days of extensive discussions in the House.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
