Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Jan, 11
Asserting that bureaucratic rule in J&K had proved a flop show, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and former Minister said that general masses were fast losing faith in the present dispensation which had failed to address even their basic concerns. With people across the new UT protesting on day to day basis for un-interrupted power and adequate water supply, restoration of roads and other essential services, there did not appear to be any takers for their shrill cries, said Singh. The Advisors and Secretaries had though organized ‘public hearing’ campaigns in the past but these had failed to inspire the people in view of their lack of productivity. The Advisors and Secretaries marked the public representations to their junior officers who hardly responded to the concerns highlighted therein thus making a mockery of the whole process. He said that like successive “Back to village” programmes organized by the present dispensation, the public interaction campaigns of Advisors and Secretaries had also proved to be exercises in futility.
Decrying the withdrawal of notification for recruitments in Agricultural production Deptt and others Deptts after having issued an advertisement, Mr. Singh said that there were several other instances to show that the present regime was moving in fits and starts accompanied by reverses. “Youth were repeatedly assured of an employment package which was nowhere to be seen. The govt’s flip-flop over restoration of 4G mobile internet connectivity had further created huge resentment amongst the general masses. The DRWs and other casual workers, despite being assured of regularization were left high and dry and made to languish on the roads. The govt’s apathy towards their concerns had antagonized the youth with all assurances of the helmsmen having proved mere hyperboles. The Govt earlier constituted a committee for redressal of the grievances of the college and school lecturers only to announce eventually that they had no right to claim regularization. The withdrawal of age relaxation has had the educated unemployed youth boiling with rage with the govt clearly miscalculating the possible blowback. The repeated assurances of BJP leadership of disbanding the Toll Plazas had fallen flat with the commuters being openly fleeced in the name of toll tax. The cosmetic ‘public hearing’ exercises by the Advisors and Secretaries and the sojourns of central Ministers had failed to inspire the masses who missed the much needed delivery on the ground”, observed Mr. Singh.
Asserting that general masses were fatigued with the bureaucratic rule, Mr. Singh called for an end to proxy rule in J&K and early restoration of democracy in the erstwhile state. The elected representatives alone could appreciate the concerns of the public as against the outside bureaucrats who hardly had any accountability to the people. He appeared the Lt Governor to put on official website of various Deptts, the details of representations received in various public interaction programmes, issues discussed therein and action taken in pursuance thereof so as to make the ‘public hearings’ relevant and meaningful.
