Apni Party President Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari today urged the Govt to book officials responsible for maintaining Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and contractors for their failure to keep the highway open for vehicular traffic.
Bukhari also demanded probe into the matter to expose the nexus between officials and contractors on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway which has posed serious threat to the lives of the people as well as the environment.
“The important lifeline to Kashmir has been closed for many days and the officials have failed to open it even today. The contractors have been working on the highway in an unscientific manner causing landslides and risking the lives of commuters,” said Altaf Bukhari.
Bukhari was speaking at a one day function organized by Apni Party in Jammu to facilitate the candidates who contested DDC elections in Jammu region.
Around 90 candidates were facilitated by Party President Altaf Bukhari to encourage them so that they can work among the people.
In this one day function, Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir, Vice President Aijaz Ahmed Khan, Vice President Ch. Zulfikar Ali, Ex-MLC and General Secretary Vijay Bakaya, General Secretary Vikram Malhotra, Provincial President and Ex-Minister Manjit Singh, Provincial President Women Wing Namrta Sharma, Provincial Vice President Syed Asgar Ali, Spokesperson of Apni Party Javed Hassan Beigh, OBC State Coordinator Madan Lal Chalotra, SC State Coordinator Bodh Raj Bhagat, Party Coordinator for Jammu Central Pranav Shagotra, Ex-MLA Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, Ex-MLA Rajouri Choudhary Qamar, Ex-MLA Kamal Arora, Ex-MLA Faqir Nath, Ex-MLA Prem Lal, Media Coordinator, Ex-Ghulam Qadir Wani, Raqeeq Ahmed Khan, J&K Panchayat Conference, President, Shafiq Mir and leaders from across Jammu Division also participated in the function which was organized in an impressive manner.
Bukhari said that the officers of J&K are demotivated and they feel powerless like politicians because of a few officials in the bureaucracy running the affairs of J&K.
“They have failed miserably even to keep an important Jammu-Srinagar National Highway opened for vehicular traffic. There is no snow clearance from the roads in parts of Kashmir Valley,” he added.
Bukhari urged the Govt to book the erring officials and contractors for their failure to keep the highway open for vehicular traffic under national security.
“It is an environmental disaster and the highway alignment is questionable without considering the consequences. The erring officials and contractors should also be booked under environmental disaster,” Bukhari said. He demanded intervention of the Green Tribunal into the issue of national importance. “The environmental degradation has caused many issues for which the Govt should hold a probe to expose the nexus between officials and contractors for their poor planning and causing inconvenience to the commuters, traders and locals, besides posing threat to their lives,” he said.