Ground Report

Srinagar,May 14 (Scoop News)- Peoples Democratic Party today regretted that the National Conference was once again trying to create confusion in the minds of people over the issue. Addressing a party card holders meeting of Sonwar constituency here to day the PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the NC had historically betrayed the trust of the people only for the personal comfort, power and wealth of its leaders. That is why the party is now in such a pathetic state that it has to transport government employees and NREGA workers from distant corners of valley to Srinagar for a party show she said. She said the government was brazenly using the central schemes like NREGA and other poverty alleviation programs to show its political existence by exploiting the poorest of the poor in spite of the Supreme Court observation that it was using the militancy as an alibi for non performance. said the issue is simple: National Conference government headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah handed over seven most feasible projects to the central government’s NHPC for construction and use without any regard for the state’s interests. While the NHPC will generate more than 3 thousand megawatts of power from these the state will receive a paltry 12% as royalty, she said and made it clear that the PDP wants these terms renegotiated in accordance with established norms of BOOT. Mehbooba said the NC following in the foot steps of Dr Abdullah facilitated the take over of another three projects in the Chenab valley when the present government ratified the decision taken by the governor’s administration. This decision created a new company in which again the NHPC will have the majority share, she said and added the government even transferred the state owned Baghlihar project to NHPC without even inviting bids, for maintenance. That decision Mehbooba maintained was apparently taken to show our own engineers in poor light and fortify the deliberately created impression that our experts cannot handle even elementary developmental issues to clear the way for further sell outs. Referring to the NC leader’s repeated reference to the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan Mehbooba said the party was using the ploy to divert attention from its own sins against the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Why don’t Farooq and Omar Abdullah clarify their stand on the projects they handed over to NHPC instead of beating about the IWT? Mehbooba asked. Referring to the acute problems of development of Srinagar city, Mehbooba said what National Conference had done to the entire state as a result of its shifting stances and changing slogans, its municipal council had achieved for the city in five years. No wonder the city was now rated as the dirtiest city of the country, she said and stressed the party had exploited the Srinagar city the most. In spite of the fact the city returned all the NC MLAs and voted for its MP without for decades, the plight of the city should make the party hang its head in shame. Recalling the initiatives taken by the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led coalition in its brief tenure Mehbooba said with the same administrative machinery it had launched trend setting programs and projects. Jehlum River front had become the most beautiful water front anywhere in the country but the programme has been halted where we left it she said. Similarly the PDP congress coalition got the Rs 400 crore project sanctioned for Dal, an open ended and need drive NURM and other programs that have almost been shelved by the present government.

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