Srinagar, Jan 28: Srinagar Senior Citizens’ Forum has expressed shock and serious concern over the media reports about non-utilization and diversion of funds meant for development of Srinagar city.
“It is shocking that present dispensation has failed to utilize the funds provided by the central government for the development of Srinagar city and other municipalities, betraying its (government’s) lack of interest towards development of the municipalities in the Valley. More shocking are the reports about the diversion of funds meant for development of Dal Lake to another region,” said a spokesman of the Forum in a statement today.
“We have been crying hoarse for several years that Srinagar city has been ignored and discriminated against by successive governments in the state for the reasons better known to them only,” he said.
The spokesman alleged that these governments not only totally ignored the Srinagar city in respect of its development but also allowed encroachments at a large scale to benefit their own people thereby making its roads narrower and distorting its look.
“Even today encroachments galore in all the localities of city especially newly established colonies. The selfish and influential people having political backing and clout with the government have been grabbing and encroaching on government land everywhere. The successive governments have allowed the selfish and influential people to turn the residential colonies into commercial hubs. Everywhere shopping complexes are coming up, making miserable the life of common man,” said the spokesman.
The spokesman alleged that these governments also ignored the education sector in Srinagar city. “Hundreds of government schools have been closed in the Srinagar city since early 80s during the times of different regimes for one reason or the other reason without constructing new buildings. Existing government schools which are housed in rented buildings are in such a dilapidated condition that even the poorest of the poor shies away from sending their wards to these schools. The governments have always preferred to close down these schools than to construct new buildings.
The spokesman said the successive governments had till date completely neglected the downtown in Srinagar in respect of its development. They never bothered to repair the main and interior roads in the downtown city which are in a bad shape.
“Those representing the downtown people in the state assembly are hardly evincing any interest in its development,” he said.
“One can gauge the efficiency and capability of the provincial administration from its failure to stock the essential commodities like LPG in the Valley despite forecast made by the department of meteorology several days before about snowfall and sub-zero temperature. The administration was caught napping when the situation worsened and people had to face several hardships for want LPG, Kerosene and other essentials in the bone-chilling temperatures,” he said.
He said Kashmir Valley is perhaps the only place in the world where 5 KG LPG is being rationed to consumers instead of full cylinder. “This speaks volumes of the efficiency of those at the helm of affairs in Valley. The irony is that responsibility was not fixed and no action taken against any of the authorities concerned for failing to discharge their official responsibilities vis-à-vis keeping the stocks of essential commodities like LPG,” said the spokesman.
The spokesman has demanded a thorough probe into the non-utilization of funds meant for development of municipalities of Kashmir division and diversion of funds meant for the development of Dal Lake in Srinagar and action against authorities found responsible for it.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST