People in Chenab region deprived of development, employment opportunities: Sagar
Says won’t adopt pick & choose approach while serving people of the state
Published on
Srinagar, July 26 (RNA): Jammu and Kashmir National Conference general secretary Haji Ali Muhammad Sagar on Friday decried the lack of basic civic facilities Chenab region, saying the lack of basic and effective amenities in the region deflates the tall claims of incumbent administration on equitable development of the state.
While concluding the week long tour of the Chenab region, party’s general secretary said the people living in the arduous region have been left to fend for themselves. “The area is rich in natural resources like hydroelectric power, minerals like gypsum and sapphire, which have been filling the coffers of the government. But when it comes to providing the benefit of these resources to the locals, the successive government after 2015 have miserably failed to invest into the infrastructure, health and education sectors of the region.The area also faces hours of power cuts. The region lacks in education, health, road infrastructure and other sectors. Nothing substantial was done to give impetus to the development prospects of the region,”he said.
Sagar said the region has been at the receiving end due to the myopic approach of the successive governments after 2015. “The governance deficit during the past few years has accumulated the problems of people in the region. The incumbent governor administration has failed to come up with the corrective measures for putting the state in particular the Chenab and Pir Panchal region back on the track of development. The roads in the regions are battered; the inter-regional connectivity in the region is poor. The region lacks in basic amenities. The people of the region have to move to Jammu or Srinagar to get treatment for basic ailments. The neonatal, child care facilities are poor. ”
Sagar said the people of the region were feeling threatened by politics of hate and communal divide being thrust upon them. “The people of all the three regions and faiths are genuinely concerned at the attempts being made to generate regional divide and engineer communal polarization for ulterior political motives,” he said, adding that this gap is needed to be bridged by strengthening mutual understanding and cementing the bonds of amity and brotherhood.
Underscoring the importance of Chenab region he said, “The region is endowed with its own conventional and cultural diversity. Functional in scores of ways, the topographical structure of the region connects the rest of the regions of state with Himachal, Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh itself. The need of the hour is to connect the region with the adjoining areas so that it is able to get the dividends of its geographical position. Our party leadership has maintained that no sooner the party forms a strong mandated government it will take care of regional & sub-regional aspirations. We won’t adopt the pick and choose approach while serving the people of state; instead we will take a holistic view and address the wider problems the region is facing. Our regional autonomy document will be our template in this direction.”
General Secretary, while underscoring the need of forging unity said, “National Conference has always believed in strengthening the amity and brotherhood in the state. There are forces working overtime to destabilize the pluralistic stability of the state.”
He said NC is ready to make any sacrifice whatsoever to ensure the ethos of the state is not disturbed with. “Deliberate attempts are being made to create fissures among different communities for vote bank politics in the Chenab Valley, but the people of the area understand these machinations and will not allow them to succeed. People have lately understood the significance of NC for the progress of state. People have understood how BJP, Congress deprived Doda and Kishtwar districts of development and employment,” he said. (RNA)