3 years ‘Babu Raj’ in J&K has given deadliest blow to development: Harsh Dev

With J&K Assembly having been suspended in June 2018 and subsequently dissolved in the same year, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP and Former Minister said that the continued bureaucratic rule in J&K has caused immense dis-enchantment among the general masses deprived of popular rule for the last three years. Having hardly any access to the outside bureaucrats ruling the roost, the people of remote and far-flung areas were the most disappointed lot with none to listen to even the basic problems of connectivity, Education, Power and drinking water faced by them. He was addressing public meetings in various villages including Cherat, Satyalta, Seuna, Bant, Bharnara and Chani during his two days tours of Ghordi and Majalta Blocks of District Udhampur.

Taking a dig at the govt over its loud claims of having assured online educational activity for students during the past 18 months of corona pandemic, Mr. Singh divulged that majority of villages did not have the requisite mobile connectivity with hardly a few villages of the said blocks having mobile internet facility. The repeated requests to govt and mobile companies to provide proper mobile connectivity and internet facility had fallen on deaf ears with GOI making nauseating claims of digital India. The fact of the matter was that majority of villages in the Blocks of Ghordi, Latti, Dudu, Basantgarh, Chenani, Seuna and Khoon did not have the online facility for education with the result that the academics had become the biggest causality with none to respond to shrill cries of people whose ward’s education had been most adversely impacted.

Pointing towards the shabby plight of roads rendered un-trafficable in the majority of villages, Mr. Singh said that Ghordi–Barmeen road catering to around 30,000 souls had been converted into a ‘Khud’ with the concerned authorities sleeping over the matter for the last 4-5 years. Likewise the construction work over Tandhar–Satyalta–Charat road being executed in fits and starts had not been completed for the last 10 years since its commencement in 2011. The Pakhlai–Charat road was in shambles with no action having been taken to ensure its repairs or up-gradation for the last 4 years. The compensation for lands acquired for PMGSY roads had not been paid in the Blocks of Latti, Chenani, Ghordi and Seuna for the last several years resulting in huge resentment amongst the affected people. There were several complaints with regard to pilferage of ration in various villages. And shockingly, several Panchayats of Chenani including Ladda, Kither and Chirdi did not have even a single ration depot with the officers concerned resorting to delay and deny for the last 3-4 years over opening of such depots in the deprived villages. Several villages did not have power connections especially in Chenani constituency. There were several complaints against L&T company assigned with the task of electrification of rural areas as they had abandoned the work halfway. And there were several instances of money having been collected from innocent people for laying power supply lines especially in Satyalta belt with officers claiming ignorance. With the present regime and the ‘Babu Raj’ averse to the woes and sufferings of the public, Mr. Singh said that early restoration of democratic govt alone could satisfy the urges and aspirations of the people.