Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, June, 23
Former Minister and JKPCC Working President, Raman Bhalla today urged the administration to ensure smooth conduct of Shri Amarnath Yatra.Bhalla stressed the need for all concerned agencies to enforce sustained close watch and maintain effective co-ordination to ensure the smooth conduct of the forthcoming Yatra.This was stated by former Minister while interacting with Amarnath yatries to review facilities for them. Bhalla said that Government must ensure all possible facilities to Shri Amarnath yatris arriving J&K from various states and abroad. He emphasized on all the involved agencies and departments to maintain very close co-ordination to ensure an incident free Yatra.
The former Minister demanded all the line departments to work in tandem to ensure that the visiting Amarnath pilgrims get all basic facilities. He also demanded that the PHE Department should make available drinking water facilities in sufficient quantity to the yatries at Yatri Niwas besides installing water supply posts from Canal head to Yatri Niwas for the convenience of the pilgrims. Bhalla urged for regular market inspections to keep a check on overcharging by traders, transporters, besides quality of food and eatables at hotels, restaurants and roadside vendors. The Congress leader asked Power Development Department (PDD) to gear up men and machinery for providing regular power supply at Yatri Niwas and other city areas. He stressed for adequate arrangements for medicare facilities at Yatri Niwas. He also made a strong appeal to Govt of India as well as Govt of J&K not to impose any type of tax on Amarnath Yatris. He said that Shri Amarnath Shrine Board must cancel any tax on the Yatris travelling to holy cave via Helicopter and toll tax on vehicles entering the State via Lakhanpur border.
Bhalla reviewed the essential services delivery scenario in Jammu and its peripheries, besides the arrangements made by the administration to ensure smooth conduct of ensuing Amarnath Yatra. Hitting out at the Centre and UT administration for failure to control , Bhalla expressed grave concern over the sudden spurt in terror activities engulfing the entire Jammu pro vince, during the past three weeks and blamed Modi govt of playing politics by misleading the entire nation regarding the ground situation falsely claiming total normalcy. He asked the Govt to ensure an atmosphere of safety and security and create conducive situations for holding assembly elections as per schedule fixed by Supreme Court.
Bhalla today said that tourism has been well recognized as an industry and as such it will have to be managed accordingly. If it is properly managed, it has vast potential of employment both directly and indirectly. It is not only the valley of Kashmir alone, which fascinates the tourists/visitors, but the whole of Jammu region, has a tremendous scope of religious tourism provided greater attention is given to it.There is lot of scope of religious tourism in Jammu region and greater attention should be given to it. Development of Parks, picnic spots, creation of wayside facilities and landscaping also require to be taken up on a large scale by the development authorities wherever it becomes necessary.
Bhalla said all religions and religious preachers stand for love, amity and selfless service but their teachings are alarmingly falling silent in the din of hate and greed. To eschew these tendencies, there is immense need of generating awareness about the unity and diversity as professed by religious scholars and sages from time to time, he maintained.He said that best way of celebrating the occasion is to take a pledge to follow teachings of Great saints in letter and spirit and work for building a society based on the natural principles of social justice, equality, compassion, love and togetherness.
Former Minister while pointing to the lack of proper development of Jammu said that the BJP Govt failed to expedite the developmental issues of the pilgrim places and time bound completion of various infrastructural works so that the devotees coming to pay their obeisance get the requisite facilities.He regretted that the major development projects of Jammu including Artificial Tawi Lake and Barrage Project, Mubarak Mandi Heritage Project, Jumboo Zoo Project, Cable Car Project, Jammu Smart City Project, Development of Tawi Banks on Sabarmati pattern, New Medical Colleges, AIIMS Project etc. had failed to make any headway.Reminding further the BJP leaders of its tall sloganeering of development of Tawi River on Sabarmati pattern, he regretted the deplorable plight of ‘Suryaputri’ which had been converted into a garbage bin causing water pollution of serious magnitude.
