Srinagar, July 4: Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday held demonstrations at Tehsil-level across Jammu and Kashmir to protest “inefficient governance by the National Conference-Congress coalition government which has resulted in unprecedented sufferings to people.”
Addressing party workers at Shopian, the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said the present government has “made the life of people miserable by its inefficiency and rampant corruption.” “Misgovernance, corruption, hollow-slogans and uneasy calm defines the government led by Omar Abdullah,” she said.
She said the gutting of Dastgeer Sahab (RA) Shrine at Khanyar recently has once again exposed the reality of Kashmir, “that it’s fragile, tentative and uneasy calm which is being touted as an achievement but is actually being enforced through strong arm methods.”
Mehbooba said that “even the moment of grief had to be managed through imprisonment of an entire population for five days under curfew, detention of political leaders and a large number of youth.”
She said the fire tragedy has saddened all. “There should be no politicization or scoring of points over it. There is a need to find out truth about the tragedy which consumed an iconic spiritual centre of Kashmir. We hope the government allows an independent probe into the cause of fire so that such events can be prevented in future. The people in the state are actually cynical about such probes in view of the government’s track record which used probes in Shopian, Haji Yousuf case and the cricket scam only to cover up the truth,” Mehbooba alleged.
She said National Conference and Congress sought votes for addressing issues of governance and development alone and claimed it had no role in addressing larger political issues. “Three and a half years later the state finds itself in a complete freeze both on political and development fronts,” she said.
“In 2010 the state government passed through worst and most fatal disturbances and the government celebrated its survival,” she said. “To every complaint of worsening power supply, winter woes, gas shortage, unemployment, corruption and backdoor employment, the government is responding with full might of the state to silence the people.”
Mehbooba said power supply has been a worst hit in JK. She said tariff was hiked manifold but supply is decreasing every day.
“The power reforms initiated by the previous government have been shelved and the Chief Minister is blaming the consumers and the department. It is the same people and same department that turned things around in 2002. The only difference between now and then is Omar Abdullah, the chief minister and the power minister,” she said.
She said the latest “noises” about the NHPC projects by the Chief Minister are “amusing, to say the least.” ‘It was National Conference which handed over 10 major projects to NHPC between tenures of Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and have now started shedding crocodile tears over the loot of state resources,” she said.
She said as it happens in Kashmir during winter, Jammu is currently facing worst power crisis. “With temperatures in Jammu hovering around 50 degree Celsius, the region is facing worst shortage of power and water,” she said.
She said development works under the state and central sectors have become “victims of government lethargy, corruption and favoritism. Whatever works are taken up are carried out by contractors close to government and some ministers. There is no development strategy for the government as was pointed out even by the Planning Commission of India.”
Mehbooba said six months have passed but the annual state Plan has not been finalized. “Plan funds are utilized by the Chief Minister as his secret fund to please his favorites. Malpractices in schemes like NREGA have reached a level where the disbursements were stopped sometime back by Government of India. The Economic Reconstruction schemes have become a source of trouble rather than relief. Half of Jammu and Srinagar roads are dug up for three years for these schemes which seem to be never ending.” Mehbooba said.
She alleged that backdoor entries in government jobs and extension to retired civil servants have become a norm again as “a trademark of the NC government.” “Youth are harassed within and outside J&K and doors for them are closed in the government,” she said.
Mehbooba said around one lakh jobs were awaiting recruitment but the government is not bothered to fill them up. “Government jobs have become a commodity that is sold and purchased like money from the treasuries,” she said.
She said Panchayats have been reduced to a “propaganda handle.” “Without empowering these institutions in real means they could be a source of alienation rather than empowerment,” she said.
RALLIES ACROSS JK
The party also carried out rallies in Kupwara, Shangus, Shopian, Langate, Chrar e Sharif, Nowshera in Kashmir and Jammu, R S Pora, Poonch, Rajouri, Thana Mandi, Kishtwar, Bhadarwah, Thathri, Marh and Gool in Jammu division  and Kargil and Leh.
Party leaders and workers in large numbers participated in the protests to highlight “rampant corruption”, power crisis, rising unemployment and growing illegal recruitments in government departments.
MIR, QARRA, LONE, ORS LEAD RALLIES
The party General Secretary Muhammad Dilawar Mir led the anti-government rally at Baramulla, and the protests were led by Tariq Hameed Qarra at Anantnag (Islamabad), G N Lone at Charar-e-Sharif, Ved Mahajan at Jammu, Thakur Balbir Singh at Billawar, Trilok Singh Bajwa at R S Pora, and Nizamudin Bhat at Bandipora.
Other legislators and party leaders led the demonstrations in their respective constituencies and areas.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 4 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 4 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 5 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST