Dr Bilal Ahmad Dar
Kashmir in the fast changing scenario of events the youth have a crucial role to play. The demands for change are getting shriller by the day. There is frustration and anger amongst large section of youth. Indeed , the cross currents created by the conflicting waves of change make the youth believe that now is the right moment to replace the obsolete values and notions and metamorphose the existing political structure in the state. There is expression of futility and absolute distrust in the political system, of the desire for change but not knowing how to bring about the change. Development in Kashmir has not happened in four decades because there has been no proper planning and no prioritisation. Much has been left undone and unresolved hindering peace and development in the state. Inter State and international border matters are unresolved agenda. Issues like unemployment, rising prices of essential commodities, food and water, security, erratic power cuts, and the disabled, environmental danger etc. Urban poverty is growing and with it the mess that ghettoes without any basic amenities are apt to display. Challenges of urban life loom large in the shape of housing, health, education, living standards, jobs etc. The government finds itself increasingly unable to address all these problems.
Srinagar city is growing beyond urban plan. Building construction, drainage, sanitation etc. are in a deep mess. Kashmir presents a gloomy picture. This arouses a feeling of despair and leave young people wondering what Kashmir would be like unfortunately, we hardly had any alternative, though we hopefully thought that the next government may prove less corrupt, but in vain. One must realise the implications of the extent of corruption that have come to occupy so much space in our society. It affects the quality of governance. Not merely that it has the menacing proportion of threatening the very foundations of our society and state. Corruption in public life is but one manifestation of mal-governance and the call for the elimination of corruption echoes a resonance for better governance in all spheres of life. So often, and especially in these trying times when politics and governance are floundering, Political instability, resulting in governance deficit, has become a brand name for the state. The young are restless and disillusioned by the lack of opportunities. The level of infrastructural development in the state is almost negligible. It is at the lowest rung of the infrastructure index ladder. The purpose of governance is to bring political and economic changes. Governance can be made effective by reinventing the tools and means of thinking for mechanisms for delivering governance and the mind sets of those who implement schemes.
Our leaders must wake up to the reality that demographic changes with a large number of youth as voters, growing urbanization, rising middle classes and vibrant media, social networking through the internet are bringing about significant though not so visible changes in the political landscape. Unless they shift their tactics and do not come out of the smugness of their past glory, they would be in for a big surprise in 2019.
(The author is a research scholar at the School Of Business And Management at Jaipur National University Jaipur, Views are his own)
