As a result of lack of accountability of the officers on the ground in absence of an elected Govt, he said “The development is a distant dream for Mongri, Panchari residents and all other remote and neglected villages in district Udhampur. The administration’s focus seems to develop Udhampur town but the villages lack basic amenities like supply of clean drinking water, electricity, health, and educational facilities.”

However, the Apni Party if forms Govt will issue white papers with regard to development in every district to ensure equitable development. The Apni Party will work as per the wishes of the people, he added.

In his address, Bukhari said that he was shocked to see the bad condition of the road with no black-topping which shows how the Mongri tehsil had been ignored by its elected representatives for the last 72 years, and the people faced injustice from them.

He said that the water being supplied from the natural resources instead of ensuring clean drinking water to the people in Mongri and other villages in Udhampur and the condition of a hospital/health center here was not good which exposes the false claims made by the UT administration that they have revolutionized development in J&K.

“There is no development and the people have been left to the mercy of God,” he said and expressed anguish as to why the ‘Pithuwalas’ are facing threat to their livelihood.

He said that the locals should be provided employment in every sector, and the Pithuwalas should not be forced to face harassment for one reason or the other by planning their replacement which would benefit the non-locals.

“One can see how the natural resources / minerals are being extracted by the non-local mining mafia from outside due to which the price of the construction material has gone up in an unexpected manner,” he said.

Similarly, he demanded a probe into sanctioned funds and its utilization in Mongri road which is still in bad shape.

He also demanded that promotion to the tourism sector in Udhampur district has potential but the UT administration has failed to explore the sites to be promoted and employment can be generated for the locals.

He said that the educational and health institutions have shortage of staff but the administration has failed to accept the long standing demands of the locals.

He further demanded that the upper age limit for aspirants of prestigious J&K Administrative Services, JKPS and other civil services should be enhanced to 37 years for general category aspirants.

He criticized the traditional political parties for exploiting the sentiments of the people.

He further said that the BJP has been directly ruling through the UT Govt in J&K for the last nine years but they did not protect the rights of the locals. However, they encouraged outsiders to get benefits from Jammu and Kashmir in the shape of contracts in mining, opening of unprecedented number of wine shops, non-advertisement of vacant 2 lakhs posts in Govt departments for recruitment, snatching livelihood rights of Pithuwalas, influence in administration by non-locals whereas the JKAS/JKPS officers have been sidelined and recruitments turned into major scams.

“If Apni Party forms the next Govt in J&K, we will protect employment rights of the locals, will regularize all the daily wagers, will advertise all the 2 lakhs vacant posts in all Govt Depts, and equitable development of all the regions,” he said.

He said that the people should come forward and support the Apni Party so that they can be provided an elected Govt to end the discrimination and injustice as they witnessed in the last seven decades.

He said that the Apni Party was founded when other political parties were not willing to speak for the people following August 5, 2019.

He said that the Apni Party was able to protect jobs and land for the locals, whereas one of the union ministers from Udhampur did not see how the rural areas were ignored and people were discriminated against.

Meanwhile, the Apni Party Vice President, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali said that “The division of Jammu and Kashmir and its downgrading into a Union Territory was unfortunate. The Dogra rich culture was undermined and our rights were compromised.”

He said that the people were forced to face underdevelopment, unemployment and many other issues which made them suffer for years together.

He said that “To end the public issues, the holding of early Assembly Elections is must in J&K. The growing concerns of the people specially youth should be addressed and accordingly, developmental needs to be addressed accordingly on priority basis.”

In his address, the Provincial President, Jammu, Manjit Singh highlighted that Apni Party will ensure restoration of old pension scheme for the Govt employees, free clean drinking water, enhancement of widow pension/old age pension/handicapped pension up to Rs 5000, 500 units of free electricity in Jammu region during summers, and 300 units free electricity to each family during winters season etc, four cooking gas cylinder to each poor family every year under Ujjawala scheme etc.

He also highlighted the agenda and policy of Apni Party for the upliftment and upgradation of the living standard of the people without discrimination.

Besides, Senior Provincial Vice President, Jammu, Ex-MLA Faqir Nath also addressed the meeting and highlighted various developmental issues.

In their address, the retired lecturer Jai Parkash, and Sarpanch, Yashpal Singh have raised concern over corruption, under development and in orderly delay in establishment of Degree College at Panchari.

“The Degree College in Mongri was sanctioned in 2018 but it is yet to be established or made operational. Similarly, the degree college also needs to be sanctioned by the Govt in Panchari and both of these colleges need to be made simultaneously operational,” they demanded.

Video | JKAP president Altaf Bukhari addresses public meeting in Udhampur

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