Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, Nov 5: Lambasting the opposition parties for making baseless allegations against Narendra Modi led Union Government, Minister of State in PMO with independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that those who have no courage to call terrorist a terrorist also have no right to criticize the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a function at village Buddhi here in connection with launch of first of its kind Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Development Project in four villages of Kathua district including Buddhi, Mearth, Nanan and Nagrota which will be taken up by PwC in collaboration with Sustainable Environment & Ecology Development Society (SEEDS), Dr Singh said “it is a pity that those who can’t call terrorist a terrorist are today challenging us”.
He said when these people are asked that was Hizbul commander Burhan Wani a terrorist they are giving philosophical answers and try to avert the question because they have no courage to call the terrorist a terrorist.
He said it is the greatest achievement of Modi led Government that today students in Kashmir have mustered courage to protest against the torching of schools and there is an uprising among the youth against terrorism.
He said the youth are conscious now and they can better understand what will be right and wrong for them. Those behind torching the educational institutions in Valley are educating their children in private educational institutions, he added.
Till today 29 schools were razed to ground in Valley and this is being done so that the education of the wards of common masses in Kashmir is affected, he said, adding that he had stated in Parliament also that it would have been good if the separatists send their own children for stone pelting instead of making poor Kashmiris to suffer.
Accusing the previous Governments of sabotaging Shahpur Kandi Project for last 60 years when Congress was ruling the State either independently or in coalition, he said this was done only because this project was in favour of Jammu. The surplus water of Ravi was allowed to go down streams instead of benefitting Jammu farmers, he added.
He said, however, the issue was taken up by him soon after the formation of Modi Government in 2014 at Centre with Punjab Government and it has been resolved also. Now the Chief Secretary of the State has to sign an agreement with Punjab so that the project can be taken up in hand and this will be done soon, he added.
In an indirect reference to former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, he said the problems are not solved by making tweets or by issuing statements from drawing rooms.
Hitting out at Congress and ridiculing the statement of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, he said no politics should be made on dead bodies. “Those raising questions that no bunkers were constructed had earlier said that water had entered in bunkers and now they are changing statements that no bunkers were constructed”. “It was BJP which raised the issue of construction of pucca bunkers in border area and the work has been started from LoC first”, he added.
He said those who talk about bunkers are answerable to people that why they did not construct them during their 60 year rule and after losing power why they are now raking up the issue.
He said it is not wise and advisable to make reference to figures about Kashmir violence and if he will go about the same on the basis of facts and figures then it will open a Pandora’s box.
Regarding allotment of five marlas of land to border people, he said 80 kanals of land were identified at Hiranagar. However there are some technical problems in allotment of the same as the Home Ministry raised some objections that in case the land will be allotted the people will prefer to settle there permanently and borders will become empty or they can sell the plots giving rise to land mafia.
However, another suggestion has come that instead of allotting the land to the border people Government will construct hutments on their own and later in case of border shelling use them for sheltering the people.
He said even the suggestions have been given that instead of community bunkers the individual bunkers be constructed within residential houses so that the people can take immediate shelter during the shelling and Government is looking into it.
Dr Singh said besides the work is on for construction of 1140 toilets in border belt and out of them 200 have been constructed. These toilets can be used for three purposes one is for defecation, second for cooking gas and natural manure.
He said Kathua will become the first district to be declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF) district.
Criticizing Azad’s statement that formation of BJP- PDP Government led to Kashmir unrest, Dr Singh asked who was responsible for 2010 unrest when Congress-NC were ruling in coalition and who was responsible for 2008 Amarnath land row agitation when Azad was heading a coalition in the State.
He said the foundation stone of Medical College Kathua will be laid soon while Kathua was also chosen for establishment of Government Engineering College.
Referring to PwC Project which was launched in the Buddhi School today, he said to begin with approximately Rs 40 lakh will be spent on it. Under the project repair and renovation of 19 rooms of school building as well as renovation of four toilet blocks in Buddhi which happens to be one of the larger villages of Kathua district will be taken up.
In addition to it other problems will also be taken up which include developing a water harvesting mechanism to promote water conservation system in the community, landscaping of the entire area through planting, etc and community mobilization and trust building by conducting workshops to promote awareness about the community subjects like storage and consumption of drinking water, management of solid waste, safer public health and sanitation practices, knowledge and environment conservation practices and promoting safety against hazards among students and teachers.
Dr Singh said that he had made a promise that he will spend double than his MPLAD Fund in the Constituency and to fulfill that promise he has taken the assistance and support of some NGOs in the development of these villages and today’s function is part of that.
Addressing the function MLA Kathua Rajiv Jasrotia highlighted the developmental projects under taken in Kathua during the Modi rule. He demanded that foundation stone of Medical Colleges of Kathua and Doda be also laid soon. He also criticized Congress and other opposition parties of leveling baseless allegations on the coalition in the State and BJP Government at the Centre.
Kamal Chawla representative of SEEDS, Jaideep Singh Associate Director PwC and Principal of the Higher Secondary School Buddhi also spoke on the occasion.
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