,,کا غذی ہے پیر ہین ہر پیکر تصویر کا؛
Everybody wears false clothing.....
Everybody wears false clothing.....
“Causes of Violence: wealth without work, happiness without conscience, knowledge without
character, business without morals, science without humanism, prayers without
sacrifices and politics without principles”, said Gandhiji
Government
formed after a slew of conspiracies
On March 1,
PDP-BJP coalition government took oath of office at a formal function in the
winter capital of Jammu. Under the leadership of Mufti Muhammad Sayed,
seventeen cabinet rank ministers and eight ministers of state were administered
oath of office for a period of six years. The council of ministers
comprises ten ministers of PDP and six ministers of BJP including Sajjad
Lone whose inclusion was fiercely debated and BJP put its foot down and
offered him a berth from its ministerial quota.
BJP insisted on
Sajjad’s inclusion purporting to send a message that Indian
system does not only forgive a law-breaker, it also confers largess
on him on change of heart. Sajjad is the son of late Abdul Ghani
Lone, and the son-in-law of Amanullah Khan. Including him in the council
of ministers from BJP quota is to showcase Indian democracy’s liberalism
not only in the sub-continent but in the entire world as well.
Will coalition
survive?
A veteran
politician that he is, Mufti Sayeed called the coalition bringing
together of North Pole and South Pole. Anything is possible in politics.
PDP-BJP coalition is almost a miracle. Apart from within the BJP circles, even
RSS, too, had reservations on it.Congress and NC cried foul over the
coalition. Congress may have justification for opposing the coalition, but NC’s
opposition makes little sense. It was opposition for the sake of opposition.
Was it not the partner of previous BJP government at the centre?
Interestingly, it
was during the rule of Congress that Afzal Guru listed 28th convict,
was picked up and hanged. His dead body was not handed over to his kith.
However, when Congressman Ghulam Nabi Azad needed a vote to win Rajya
Sabha seat, he cajoled Engineer Rashid, an independent member in the
Legislative Assembly. Congress issued a statement of acknowledging
error in ordering execution of Afzal Guru. Whether Afzal Guru’s soul found
some peace or not, at least Engineer Rashid found legitimacy to help Azad
obtain Rajya Sabha seat. He made for himself a seat among the
martyrs. What service is
rendered to late Afzal Guru by voting a person of the same party that ordered
Guru’s execution?
Engineer Rashid
is a good friend of mine. People have many stories to tell
about him. They say the opponents if Sajjad Lone voted in favour of him (Engr.
Rashid). Jamaat-i-Islami had issued a whip in this connection to vote
for him. People have reported Engr Rashid’s participation in a rally of
Jamat-i-Islami and even addressing it as well.
The grapevine
says that Engr. Rashid did not vote in favour of Ghulam Nabi Azad only for the
latter terming the execution of Guru as controversial. There are
other motives also. True, an effort was made to get the dead body of Guru.
However, on the basis of State Congress unit declaring
Guru’s execution something wrong, his remains could not be
returned nor would it console his close relatives. Guru was executed
during the rule of the Congress. As such, a candidate
on Congress ticket should not have been voted to return a Congress
candidate to Rajya Sabha from Kashmir. Engineer Rashid
was used as a conduit, and we are told that a resolution
may be put up in the assembly for this proposal. It is only
to publicize the issue. People cannot be made a fool for all the
times. Mainstream political parties in Kashmir and those involved in Assembly
elections have inducted an element of separatism in their politics. In Jammu,
communal card was played. But the politicians have seldom shown any regard for
religion which they are selling in their political campaigns. They have only
self-aggrandizement.
Mufti Sahib
will not face obstruction only from National Conference and Congress.
He will have also serious challenges from within the coalition. Huge noise
was made on the release of Masrat Alam. Orders for his release were
issued on 4th of February during Governor’s rule. PDP wanted to
take the credit of making announcement of his release. That is why it did
not make the announcement earlier. However, on facing criticism from BJP
quarters, PDP took shelter behind the order of the Governor.
PDP would do
well to address the issues related to the development of all regions of
the State within the Mandate. So far the vote has not been asked for the final
settlement of the State nor has it been given for that purpose. The vote
has been given for the development of the State, for improving the condition of
the roads, for opening avenues for employment and for improving power supply
position and such like things.
Plan for
smaller power houses
We have the
capacity of producing 32000 MW of hydroelectric power in the State. A
long list of developmental works is waiting the coalition government.
These are: providing drinking water, improving educational system,
raising school buildings, eradicating bribery from government departments,
streamlining electric transmission system, expediting judicial process so that
one has not to wait for a quarter of century to get justice, putting an
end to coercion by the police and rampant corruption in the organization,
overhauling entire transport system, making government departments and
organizations accountable to the people, removing thirty to forty year old
buses from the roads to protect environment and spare passengers the
humiliation of travelling in obsolete vehicles etc. These are all priorities
that the coalition government should address on priority basis. People
have to be infused with a sense of security and change. This can be achieved by
ordering replacement of old and useless passenger vehicles from national
highway and internal transport.
LAWDA is one
organization where accountability is lacking. People carry the impression
that this organization has done more harm than good to the Dal Lake. We have no
dearth of honest and sincere functionaries. They need to be encouraged. Wular
Lake is also under threat and it has to be saved from destruction. For
understanding the dilapidated condition of the roads,
let responsible state functionaries go on a round of the
interior of the city. School administration needs to be tightened.
Government
officers, Police and bureaucracy have made life miserable for ordinary
citizens. State institutes need overhauling and streamlining because their
administration is paralyzed. In many cases there is need of structural reconstruction.
If the dismal condition of schools and school administration is to be
recorded, it will make a huge volume. Education Minister made a statement
that in many schools there were no students while the staff is in dozens. In some
schools teachers outnumber students while in others, students outnumber
teachers. When the government is aware of these deficiencies,
why it does not take corrective steps? Teachers in
private schools receive less salary in comparison to teachers in government
institutions and yet private schools show better annual results in comparison
to government schools. This calls for overhauling of educational system.
Failed drainage
system
We are told
that the previous central government had sanctioned huge amount of 24
hundred crore rupees for improving drainage system. A cursory look at the
drainage system of the city will show that not more than 24 crore rupees have
been spent on this item. A 4/6 inch pipe has been laid in the city which
got blocked by rubble during the floods. This caused inundation
of the city including Lal Chowk to a height of 5 feet forcing the
shopkeepers to take out their stocks to safer places. Accountability
cannot be shifted from person to person. Road repair is given on the
basis of commission but without any planning. Engineers get their
share, and do not care to examine the material used for the building of
roads. Within a short period of three months at the most, the roads are washed
off. Why don’t we have the system of laying drains when roads are built? The
practice all over the world is that at the time of building a road, dam or a
bridge, a big sign board is placed at the site giving all information
about the plan, estimate of expenditure and benefits of the project in hand.
This is done to enable anybody interested in the project raise questions or
seek further information. Instead of 1.4 inches, blacktop material of bare 1.1
inches is laid on naked soil which cannot survive one single heavy
shower. Funds drawn for developmental works partly go to the pockets
of officers and at the most not more than 10 per cent is spent on development.
Tourism has become a gold mine for engineers and
officers. Scratch it and you will find that
Tourism Department is in the grip of goons and corrupt people. Any plan
which can be completed with fifty lakh rupees is billed for 2 crore. Where does
the money go?
Floods caused
havoc to the people. Instead of passing the buck authorities should have focused
on how to prevent the crisis in future. More than prayers, the need is to find
the causes of floods. Are we punished for spoiling Mother
Nature? National Conference is bringing onus of non payment of relief to the
victims to the doorsteps of Mufti government. They should be ashamed that they
left people to their fate during the September floods while the present
government immediately addressed the issue.
Various urgent
steps need to be taken to prevent recurrence of floods.
- All
illegal constructions that have come up on the banks of rivers,
streams and nullahs should be immediately demolished.
- Drudging
of all rivers and nullahs is urgently needed. Contractors can be given the
incentive of free sand excavation.
- State
has limited resources. The government should raise Flood Fund item on permanent
basis so that appeal is made for contributing to this fund for cleaning the
water bodies.
- Residents
on the banks of Dal Lake should be shifted on emergency basis. House boats
should be asked to move closer to the bank and their drainage should be
strictly outside the water body.
- Shopkeepers
of Lal Chowk and its vicinity affected by the floods should be provided with
immediate financial support.
- J&K
Bank have grown only with the contributions made by the people of the State. It
must come to the rescue of the people on emergency basis. It must provide loans
to the traders on minimum interest.
- News of
sinking of hillocks and mounds comes in almost every day. The causes of
this phenomenon need to be probed into. One major reason according to the
people is that deforestation takes place wantonly. Forest wealth is looted
shamelessly and trees are cut indiscriminately. This loosens the soil and
then it begins to slip. Wide scale plantation should take place on such
vulnerable sites.
- Ten year
ban should be imposed on felling forest trees. People and the Forest Department
should be given the task of planting fifteen lakh trees every year. Urge for
plantation of trees has to be inculcated among the school and college going
students. Children are usually very sensitive about environment and ecology.
J&K Bank
Regrettably
J&K Bank authorities have given huge amounts to non-state capitalists and
entrepreneurs on very lesser rate of interest. Reports are that these
beneficiaries have not even returned the loan, leave aside the interest.
For example REI AGRO Company, based in Kolkatta,was given a
loan of about three hundred crore rupees on loan. Despite making
various pretexts for not paying the interest, the company has been given
additional loan of four hundred crore rupees making in all 700 crore rupees of
total loan advanced. What to speak of the interest, even repayment of principal
amount is in doldrums. It is deplorable that while home borrowers are
given loans by J&K Bank on 14 per cent interest rate, this company was
provided such a big loan on just 11 per cent interest.
Haseeb Drabu
seems to be a munificent person; he has not removed the sitting J&K Bank
Manager. NC had removed Haseeb Drabu immediately after assuming power. People
ask who is answerable to illegal appointments and other scandals in the bank in
which hundreds of crore of rupees are misappropriated
an embezzled after giving these amounts on loan to
blue-eyed persons. If seven hundred crore rupees had been invested in the
State instead of giving this amount on loan to RAI Company, how many unemployed
youth would have got a source of livelihood. Mufti government
should constitute an inquiry commission on these scandals of the
J&K Bank failing which people will attribute motives to allowing the
present Chairman to stay put in his post.
Rain and flood
have adversely affected many people and their cattle stock. Many people died in
the calamity. God Almighty bless their souls. We pray for them. Those who
have suffered materially, we ought to rise in support to them. This is the
height of humanism.
"Let not
the tongue remain silent
The innocent
blood will cry aloud"
,,جو چپ رہے گی ذبان خنجر۔ لہو پکارے گا آستین
کا ,,
This article of Chairman JKDLP, Hashim Qurehi was published in various newspapers
