National Conference (NC) General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar Sunday said Kashmir was without basic civic amenities
A statement of NC issued here said that expressing concern over the widespread administrative inertia, crumbling economy, soaring unemployment, and scathing alienation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Sagar said the milestones achieved by the ruling dispensation were ill-conceived and back-breaking.
“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 government orders and notifications have only been able to undermine the emotional connect of people of J&K with the rest of the country. 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.
“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 the people. The only thing the ruling dispensation has ably done is to disenfranchise the local youth from employment opportunities,” Sagar said. “The apparent discrimination and regional bias in India Post, J&K Bank recruitment is a telling indictment of the wanton prejudice and unfairness being meted out to Kashmiri at every level. Outsourcing of security for J&K 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 Kashmiris.”
He said that there could 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,” Sagar said.
In a separate statement, NC District President, Ramban, Sajjad Shaheen expressed concern over the unscheduled power cuts during the month of Ramadan, particularly at the Sahri and Iftaar time in the entire Ramban district saying that the metered as well as non-metered consumers, particularly in Banihal and far off areas had been facing long hours of unscheduled power cuts.