Jammu, , September 24, (Scoop News)- Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir was passing through a crucial phase and it was the time when one has not to shore up individual political stakes through distribution of relief among the victims, but ensuring that the help reaches the most deserving, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Wednesday once again offered his party’s fullest support to the government to tackle the unending crisis, caused by unprecedented floods, in Kashmir and major parts of Jammu province.
In a statement here, Mufti said that instead of indulging in long term policy talk with the Prime Minister at this juncture the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir should focus on immediate issues and gear up his administration which still seems in disarray.
Mufti said the invisibility of administration at this crucial juncture was not only shocking but intriguing as well. “It is the same administration, officers and civil servants who have worked most impressively in the past”, the PDP patron said adding, “The same administration has performed exceptionally well at all the crucial times, whether it was tackling the post militancy reconstruction or the earthquake of 2005”. He said same spirit has to be revived to pull the people of Kashmir out of their most testing hour but it was unfortunate that the political leadership in the government had without exception, proved grossly unequal to the task.
Responding to widespread complaints that elementary life saving help was still awaited by most uprooted victims, Mufti said instead of trying to seek more assistance from centre at this juncture it was important to ensure judicious distribution of what the state has already received. He said there are complaints of gross misconduct and favoritism in distribution of relief which need to be strongly curbed.
Mufti said reconstruction of the devastated infrastructure, private properties, commercial establishments and business enterprises is a tall order for this government, which in any case is about to complete its term. “It would only add to miseries of a suffering population if issues of temporary shelters, ration and basic sanitation and clearance of debris and garbage are not tackled with speed, uniformity and efficiency”.
He said that though it was encouraging to find the central government initially responding with concern and empathy, but Prime Minister Modi’s job is not over with his aerial survey of flood affected areas and announcement of initial package for the flood hit state. He said flood has created an unprecedented situation in the state which resulted in the destruction of not just property and infrastructure besides loss of life but it has hit the economy the hardest. He said the business community in most cases has lost the very capacity for revival and the central government has to respond to this situation with urgency at the highest level.
Urging the state and central governments to look beyond their surveys of loss Mufti said most of the trading community which is the backbone of Kashmir economy has lost merchandise in the warehouses, shops showrooms and factories apart from many of them also suffering loss to their homes. The government has to realize the extent of damage beyond numerical calculations and try to find ways of helping the business community to pick up the threads again especially in Srinagar and some other towns like Anantnag. He said arranging soft loans is only one way of trying to help the revival of Kashmir.
Mufti said the impact of flood on horticulture, agriculture and tourism, constituting the core of state’s economy too has been devastating. These sectors, he said had seen Kashmir sail through worst times, but now as rest of the economy is destroyed too, the loss in these sectors will only multiply problems resulting in more unemployment and increase in poverty. The central government will have to take realistic view of the impact of flood which has as perhaps nowhere else hit both the rural and urban economies and devise liberal response, said Mufti.
Expressing concern at the inability of government to dewater major areas in Srinagar, Mufti said the reports about lack of coordination between state and central governments are appalling. He said the non deployment of heavy duty dewatering machines received from central government for more than a fortnight now amounts to criminal negligence and only confirms the popular impression about the government that it is nonexistent. He said while the Kashmir society rose to the occasion and played its part with distinction, the state government failed to reciprocate even a fraction of it.
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