Jammu: President Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari on Thursday said that the people of Jammu are unsatisfied with the casual approach of the authorities towards their basic issues.
At a revoew meeting with the Party leaders that was held here at Apni Party Office, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu ahead of upcoming Urban Local Body elections the leaders informed the Party president about their working and activities which are being carried out in the municipal wards of Jammu Municipal Corporation. The leaders expressed their concern over the poor implementation of the smart city project, improper drainage system that leads to water logging during rainfall in the main chowks, and low-lying residential areas falling under JMC. The Party leaders also informed the Party President about the failure of the authorities in providing basic amenities to the people in the Jammu municipal wards. On the other hand, there is anger among the Jammu residents, and business community against the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) for generating excessive electricity bills following the installation of smart meters and it sparked a series of protests, the Party leaders informedAltaf Bukhari.
Addressing the Party leaders, Bukhari appreciated the Party leaders for working tirelessly for the public welfare and highlighting the concerns of the people without discrimination. He said that “Apni Party will speak truth to the powers. Jammu has suffered badly because the authorities are working in a wayward manner without considering the worries of the common masses.”
Directing the Party leaders to get ready for Urban Local Body elections, and Panchayati Raj elections, the Apni Party President hoped that the people would appreciate and support the work of the Party leaders by extending their support to the candidates.
“The ULB elections would be eye openers for those who claimed to be chaimpagin of Jammu because they have betrayed people, who voted them to power in 2014 in the erstwhile J&K. The people had hopes, but Jammu was deprived of basic amenities. The launch of Smart City Project had given hope for the people, but it appeared to have failed before its take-off,” he added.
He further said that “The existing situation unfolds a bitter reality that the people in Jammu are unsatisfied with the authorities for their casual approach towards the issues of the local population. Therefore, the focus in ULB polls is likely to remain on basic issues of Jammu that need to be addressed. For this purpose, Apni Party is committed to provide equitable development in all the wards of JMC.” He asked the Party leaders to visit each ward under Jammu Municipal Limits and other Municipal Committees across the Jammu Region to listen to the grievances of the masses. He said that deepening power crises in Jammu and irregular drinking water supply has multiplied the suffering of the people in JMC limits, and its peripheral areas. He also referred to the issues of Transporters in Jammu and underdevelopment of Transport Nagar where the economic hut of Jammu is suffering because of negligence of the concerned authorities. “The condition of the business community, taxi operators atRailway Station in Jammu, heritage of Mubarak Mandi Palace, and other places of tourism importance cannot be ignored. The authorities have completely failed to perform as per the expectation of the people. Hence, the holding of early Assembly Elections in J&K is the only solution to address the growing issues in Jammu as well as Kashmir regions,” he said.
Earlier, the Provincial President Jammu S. Manjit Singh shared detailed situations in JMC wards, and Municipal Committees in towns where the people are deprived of basic amenities even after expending hundreds of crores in the name of development. He explained the preparedness of the Party leaders for municipal elections. In his speech, he highlighted the recent protests across Jammu plains against the smart meters installation that has invoked sharp response from the power consumers because of excessive electricity bills.
