Shadow Correspondent
jammu, SEPT 27:
Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Sunday urged Lieutenant Governor Sinha to act as a bridge between the people and the administration.-+`He observed that keeping in view present scenario, there is an urgent need to reach out to the people at the grassroots, understand them and their aspirations and convey these to the policymakers in Delhi who, in turn, can draft policies that meet the aspirations of the people and lead to their political social and economic empowerment with dignity and honour. This was observed by former Minister while interacting with aggrieved persons of Old Sekh Nagar in Bahu Fort are of Gandhi Nagar constituency as a part of his mass contact programmes in different parts of Gandhi Nagar constituency to listen to grievances of people of constituency. Preeminent among those present on the occasion include Block President Jatinder Singh Chib, Latish Sharma, GS Sodi, Diwan Chand, Mulak Raj, Bal Ram Langhe, Chman Lal, Rakesh Verma, Chet Ram, Tara Chand, Sukh Chain, Bunty and others.
During interaction, residents project various issues before former Minister and sought early redressal of same. Bhalla alleged that BJP whom Jammu people have voted into power should not shift their responsibility, but should concentrate on fulfilment of their electoral promises made. He said Govt totally neglecting masses demands and have left them at the mercy of god, he alleged that there is a total collapse of State administration since BJP leadership are themselves confused as media has exposed their internal bickering.He said, all developmental works being started by previous government are stopped and seems standstill, which has affected the people of the J&K badly.
Bhalla said that it is most unfortunate that the common people have no medium to raise their voice for their basic necessities like water, power, healthcare and education due to the neglect of Administration. The people have to come on roads to express their anger and seek redressal of their genuine grievances.The utter failure of BJP which had the mandate of Jammu region since 2014 to carry forward the projects initiated by the previous Govt both at State and Centre and to upgrade the infrastructure and augument various supply schemes, have resulted into total mess and several projects either standstill or going on snail’s paces, causing great loss to Jammu region and adding hardships to the people on various fronts. Bhalla said that drinking water supply to the Jammu region has been hit for the past 24 hours as thousands of the public health engineering (PHE) department daily earners and regular employees went on a strike.Strike was called by the employees’ unions in the Jammu region, which affected lakhs of people.They took the strike decision as the administration has failed to release the pending wages of daily earners.
Even the DPC of the regular employees is not been carried out on time due to which there is resentment among them. Even the regular employees have extended their support to the daily earners,” said Bhalla.He said if PHE department and the state administration continues its apathetic attitude towards the workers who had been denied regular wages and regularisation despite the announcements made by the previous government, people of Jammu will suffer hugely during time of Covid-19 pandemic.
“Despite repeated assurances, the government has befooled the daily earners for six years. They are without wages. This is the biggest human rights violation,” said Bhalla. The Medical Assistant and Pharmacist diploma holders are on strike also demanding the government to issue orders of the registration and drug license and preferences employment in the government sector.They have completed their diploma from the Government Medical College of Jammu and Kashmir, earlier they were applying for registration under Jammu and Kashmir Pharmacy Council. After the Abrogation of Article 370 the central government rules have been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, they are not eligible for the criteria to apply for the registration under the Pharmacy Council of India.”They have completed their diploma from the registered medical colleges , but they are not eligible for the registration, they are also qualified youths like B. Pharmacy degree holders , they cannot leave their profession, the government should provide the license so theye can save their future,” he said.Most of students have taken loans from the banks to complete their diploma’s in the medical colleges, but this time these diploma certificates did not have any future in Jammu and Kashmir, as they are not considered eligible for the registration under pharmacy Council of India as well as in government Jobs,” he said.He said that they have also approached the concerned officials from time to time regarding the problem, but nothing has been done for us.He said there are nearly twenty thousand youths across Jammu and Kashmir, who have completed their diploma from the different medical colleges of Jammu and Kashmir, but the government has derived from them basic rights.Former Minister requested Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and higher officials of the Health and Medical education to look into the matter and issuance of the registration, drug license and preference in the government jobs.
Former Minister alleged that only false promises were made with over 61,000 casual labour and other workers engaged in various departments by previous Government. Number of committees and sub-committees were framed but they were not regularised. Their files remained in the offices gathering dust. The new Government has ousted thousands of temporary workers and made them unemployed. Nothing can be expected from the present regime.Tall, stentorian promises of ‘ache din’ have amounted to ‘Ache Din’ for a chosen few in terms of their personal welfare while common people have been left to fend for themselves by a brazenly insensitive and callous dispensation,” Bhalla said .He said lack of direction and political will have compounded the perception of political uncertainty in the state whereas the government should have tried to provide a hope of inclusive development, reconciliation and peace.He said disenchantment among the people has reached an unprecedented level. ” He said regional polarisation and efforts to divide the people on the basis of their religions could have short-term political advantages for the ruling parties, Jammu and Kashmir will always stick to its legacy of inclusiveness, secularism and tolerance.He said that those giving sermons on secularism should learn its basics from the glorious, selfless history of Congress. “We have rendered unparalleled sacrifices for the cause of secularism and inclusiveness,” he said.The former Minister said that development has been pushed to back burner while public grievances were mounting unheard with each passing day.
Former Minister said that BJP Govts in Haryana and Madya Pradesh have even reserved jobs for locals in private sectors too, but why this discrimination with people of J&K in this regard.He accused the Union territory”s government of having jeopardized the career of unemployed educated youths in J&K by opening local state jobs for outsiders, asserting that it is “unacceptable”.After the nullification of Article 370 on August 5 this year, there have been demands from various quarters, especially in Jammu region and the Union Territory of Ladakh, carved out from the erstwhile state of J&K, for a domicile certificate or some legal restrictions on the purchase of land by outsiders as well as their appointments in government jobs.”It would not only mar the prospects of the local unemployed educated youths but would also have a demoralising effect upon the educated aspiring youths of the erstwhile state,” Bhalla said.J&K does not have much scope for absorption of educated unemployed youths in the private sector. And the employment opportunities in the government sector are also very limited, said the former Minister.Throwing open government jobs in J&K to youths from all over the country would not only be a grave injustice with the J&K youths but could also have serious ramifications,” said Bhalla.“The J&K government was hardly advertising any new posts to fill up vacancies in government departments despite the ever growing number of unemployed educated youths year after year.”The simmering discontent among youths against the government apathy could have earthshaking consequences in case the J&K jobs are opened to outsiders without protecting the interest of local youths” said Bhalla.Lambasting the BJP for diminishing and marring the career prospects of J&K youths, Bhalla said it should get prepared to face the fury of youths who had been cajoled and lured by it during elections through its seductive slogans.
