J&K’s crumbling economy, appalling road conditions worrisome: NC

18 April 2021

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Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Sunday said that the exclusivist policies and the scripted mayhem of ruling dispensation at New Delhi towards Jammu and Kashmir has left a trail of destroyed economy and smoldered democracy.

This was stated by the Party General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar while expressing concern over the widespread administrative inertia, crumbling economy, soaring unemployment, and scathing alienation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the subsequent milestones achieved by the ruling dispensation were ill-conceived and back breaking. He said that mutilating, downgrading, and disempowering Jammu and Kashmir has pushed the entire region into a limbo and on the terminal path of alienation.

“Ruling dispensation has pulverized decades of our investment in peace building, and strengthening of democratic institutions in one fell swoop by giving precedence to a party ideology over the supreme interests of the country. The people of Jammu and Kashmir live in an environment where they are not trusted with basic civil rights that includes democracy. Far from delivering on the promises of flooding the region with investment, creating job extravaganza, and augmentation of infra-projects, the measures of August 5, and all other subsequent orders and notifications have only been able to undermine the emotional connect of people of J&k with the rest of the country. The measures of August 5, we were told would bring J&K at par with other states. On the contrary, the new normal that has been shoved down the throats of the people of J&k has nothing per se in common with other states,” he said.

Sagar stated that the promises made by the ruling dispensation at the time of unilateral and unconstitutional abrogation of J&K’s constitutionally guaranteed status have fallen flat. On the contrary the spurious claims of the ruling dispensation at New Delhi have become apparent looking at the crumbling tourism, handicrafts, and health and education sectors in J&K. “From being a revenue surplus state to a revenue deficit one, the so-called “development” is before people. The only thing the ruling dispensation has ably done is to disenfranchise the local youth from employment opportunities. The apparent discrimination and regional bias in India post, JK Bank recruitment is a telling indictment of the wanton prejudice and unfairness being meted out to Kashmiri at every level. Outsourcing of security for JK Bank, outsourcing of contract for sand extraction and discriminatory new mining policy, disengagement of Self help groups of engineers are few glaring examples of the discrimination being meted out to Kashmiri. This has to end,” he added.

He said there can be no redemption in the situation unless New Delhi doesn’t change its August 5^th decisions. “There can be no trade off between political aspirations and development ambitions of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Both have to go hand in hand. New Delhi has to give a sense of entitlement to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by undoing its August 5, 2019 policy and restoring democracy to its pristine glory,” he added.