Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Mar, 04
Describing the public outreach programmes of the State and Central Govt. as exercises in futility, 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 were though organizing ‘public hearing’ campaigns 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 two successive “Back to village” programmes organized by the present dispensation, the public interaction campaigns of Advisors and Secretaries and visits and Central Ministers had also failed to yield any results.
Asserting that there was lack of clarity on the part of helmsman over administrative matters, Mr. Singh said that vague, nauseating statements were frequently made by the govt. only to be withdrawn later. The most recent example is that of Panchayat by-elections which were announced with a great fanfare only to be withdrawn. “The Lt. Governor had announced holding of early elections in J&K immediately after his joining without any formal follow up action. Every third day there are announcements of constituting the elected DPDBs, the third tier of PRI without any further initiative to fulfil such pious declarations. People were repeatedly assured of domicile law for J&K in public meetings by helmsmen and BJP leaders only to be told in the Parliament that GoI had no proposal in this regard. 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. SRO-202 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 Sarore Toll Plaza 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 flip-flop and fruitless public hearings, 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.
