Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Provincial President (Kashmir) Nasir Aslam Wani on Monday chaired a meet of constituency in-charges and office bearers of district Anantnag at Khanbal.
Issues pertaining to the current political situation and restructuring of YNC were discussed in the meeting. Party’s South Zone President Dr. Bashir Ahmed Veri, District President Anantnag Altaf Kaloo, YNC Provincial President Salman Ali Sagar also addressed the meeting. Among others who participated in the meeting include Riyaz Khan, Syed Tauqeer, Peer Mohammad Husain, GN Adigami, GN Bhat, GN Tailbali, Suhail Beg and Abbas Dar.
While addressing the functionaries, the Party’s Provincial President said that the falling growth rate of the JK economy is something that the present regime has failed to address. “Sagging horticulture, agriculture and its allied activities; development deficit, administrative inertia and widespread unaccountability is what defines today’s Kashmir. Recent package announced by the incumbent regime was mute on the reverses suffered by the horticulture and other allied sectors due to the vagaries of weather, post august clamp down and succeeding Covid 19 lock down. The losses to these sectors were declared a national calamity, despite that the recompense doled out to horticulturists by the government was too little,” he said.
Ruing the failure of GoI to upgrade Mughal road as viable alternative to Jammu –Srinagar highway which is also in a terrible condition, Nasir said, “The situation on the Mughal road is no different; the stretch of road connecting Shopian and with the frontier districts of Poonch, and Rajouri is also marred with frequent logjams. There is no respite for the people coming from any quarter. The administration on its part has turned a volte face to the problems faced by them. It also seems that the undue measure is being deliberately carried out to weaken the Kashmiris economically,” he said.
Nasir also decried the measure of not allowing Fruit laden trucks to ply swiftly on Jammu-Srinagar highway, saying the administration has turned mute towards the issues faced by the orchardists. “Unnecessary stalling of the movement of fruit laden trucks on Srinagar-Jammu highway causes’ spoilage of the perishable fruit of worth crores,” he said.
Criticizing the imprudent policies of the successive government since 2015, Nasir said the prevailing crises induced by COVID-19 has added to the plight of lakhs of artisans, forcing them to turn away from their family vocations and switch to other menial jobs. He said the choking of private businesses due to the ongoing crises has plunged the people into poverty.
“With few opportunities in the private sector, the public sector remains the only avenue of employment in Kashmir; but the government has failed to speed up the recruitment process. JK unemployment graph is soaring whereas there has been no follow up on the promise of speeding up the process of recruitment, and identifying vacancies, not to talk of filling them,” he said.
While expressing concern over the dismal state of agriculture and its allied activities in Kashmir south zone president Dr Bashir Veeri said the farmers distress was deep rooted and widespread due to the accumulation of distress over the last four years or so. “The 2014 floods, the tumultuous circumstances of 2016, post August clampdown, weather vagaries, and successive COVID-19 induced lockdown are the reasons why the predicament Kashmir’s rural agriculture now finds itself in is unprecedented. Unlike earlier responses when governments addressed the sufferings of farmers and revived the agrarian economy, this time the government apathy has aggravated the situation and added to the already brewing crises,” he said.
Party affairs and reorganization of YNC Zonal/ District /Block Committees were also deliberated upon in the meeting; the leaders also highlighted the issues concerning people in view of the ongoing crises induced by COVID-19 and economic slowdown.
