Srinagar, January 18, (Scoop News)- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Saturday held state wide demonstrations against the government for its failure to address people’s problems. Apart from the two capital cities-Srinagar and Jammu- large demonstrations were also held at all district headquarters and all major towns to press for redressal of pressing problems faced by people.
In view of the complete collapse of power distribution system in this freezing winter months in Kashmir valley, the focus of demonstrations remained lack of electricity, while workers also highlighted scarcity of ration, kerosene oil, LPG and drinking water.
In Jammu province, the government was on receiving end of the demonstrations for rampant corruption, unemployment among the youth and mis-governance.
The speakers castigated the government for pushing the entire Valley into complete darkness forcing the people to switch over to the ancient means of lightning. Even the authorities have even failed to stick to the atrocious power schedule, announced for the winters, but the tariff has been increased five folds, over the last five years. In many cases, they pointed out, bills have been inflated beyond reasonable limits with the result people have been unable to pay the tariff.
The power supply system has frequently broken down and transformers have been damaged at many places. The speakers pointed out that the government had with much fanfare announced the establishment of transformer banks, which, in fact, proved to be another hallow promise by it. Even now people are forced to collect money to get the damaged transformers repaired. Due to the recent snowfall, at places, HT and LT wires, which have fallen down, have not been repaired posing serious threat to the human populace.
Highlighting the maximum government, which does not even have salaries to pay its employees and minimum governance; the people marched on the roads to make their point louder.
Adding to the people’s woes, the speakers said, so many areas are still awaiting clearance of snow.
They said there is serious shortage of rice, flour at the Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets and there have been many instances where ration under the PDS going to black market. Even, nothing came out, so for, about the 10 thousand quintal rice which went missing from an Awantipur godown few months back. “Fact of the matter is that such frauds are done by the corrupt employees in league with ruling party ministers,” leaders said.
The speakers said while the water charges are regularly collected from consumers, but in many areas, especially in villages, women are forced to fetch water from the sources, miles away from their homes. Even, at places, people are forced to melt snow to get drinking water.
The PDP leaders accused the government of institutionalising the corruption in the state and making the institutions of probity systematically dysfunctional. They said there have been brazen cases of corruption like the Cricket Scam, PHE scam, Fake drug Scam, BOPEE scam etc., over the last five years, which have made the state poorer and the sitting ministers richer.
The leaders said though there have been many serious charges of corruption against the sitting ministers and the mysterious death Haji Yousuf, in 2011, at the chief minister’s residence expose the murky money dealings in the Abdullah family.
They said the governance system which is anti-people in its approach but it has been fully loaded against the youth, with the result the young population is feeling deprived and disillusioned. The recruitment and selection processes have been subverted and there is no transparency and accountability in the system. The government, the speakers said, has put everything on sale which has also been responsible for the anger among the youth as they don’t get a fair play in the system. The government, instead of creating meaningful avenues for the welfare of the young population, has been on war with them as more than 10 thousand FIRs have been lodged against them, besides using every inhuman means to suppress their voices. The seriousness of the government, in tackling the menace of unemployment among the educated youth, can be gauged from the fact that it has recruited 400 retired people on hefty salaries.
In Srinagar, the protest march started at the PDP headquarters which passed through the Residency road and latter culminated at the historic Lal Chowck. The march was led by the senior PDP leader and the party’s candidate for Srinagar parliamentary constituency, Tariq Hameed Karra and Mohammad Ashraf Mir, MLC and district president and Molvi Imran Ansari. Other leaders who participated in the protest are: Abdul Hameed Kosheen, Mohammad Khursheed Aalam, Ms Asiya Naqash , Abdul Rauf Bhat, Nisar Ahmad Mandoo, Noor Mohammad Sheikh, Haji Pavaiz Ahmad, Dr Ali Mohammad Wani, Mohammad Shafi Mir, Mohammad Latif Mir, youth leader, Shuja Sarwar and other. People were chanting slogans in Kashmiri like ‘Waliv Zalew Wein Prein Chaetgeer, Ye Gaw NCyuk Naya Kashmir; Kanekh Daryaw, Kunukh Kashmir, Ye Gaw NCyuk Naya Kashmir; Gatchan Power, Tchu Koshur Geer, Ye Gaw NCyuk Naya Kashmir……’
In Jammu, the protest was led by the senior party leaders, S. Trilok Singh Bajwa, Ved Mahajan, Rashid Malik, Hussain Ali Wafa, R. K. Bali, district president; Bushan Lal Dogra, Rajinder Manhas, Vikram Singh Langay, Sonu, Sarpanch Bacchan Jee, Vimal Sharma and others. Kashmir migrant pandits including Romesh Koul Ashok Sidha, Ashok Bhat. All the leaders along with two hundred workers were, latter detained and lodged in police lines Jammu.
In Anantnag, the protest was led by the senior party leaders, Abdul Rehman Veeri, MLA; Peer Mohammad Husain; Peezada Mansoor Hussain, MLA; Rafi Ahmad Mir, MLA; Syed Farooq Andrabi, Abdul Rahim Rather, Sheikh Javaid Ahmad, Javaid Ahmad Sathoo, G A Thakur, Imran Khaki and Imran Amin and others.
In Baramulla, the protest was led by Syed Bashrat Bukhari, MLA and district president; Javaid Husain Beig, state secretary; Haji Ghulam Rasool, zone president Baramulla; Abdul Aziz Dar, Dr Shabir Mangral, Ashaq Husain Khan, Dr Shahzad Asim, Mohammad Abbas Wani, Adv. Abdul Khaliq, Syed Najeeb Naqvi, Habibulla Sheikh, Mohmmad Afzal Rather, Fazal Mehmood Beig, Prof. Abdul Jabbar, Shabir Ahmad Mir, , Parvaiz Ahmad Mir and others.
In Bandipur district, the protest was led by Yasir Reshi, district president; Imtiyaz Hameed Reshi, Irshad Lone, Abdul Rashid Singh and others at Sumbal in Sonawari constituency.
In Bandipur town the demonstration was led by Ghulam Nabi Tantray, Abdul Khaliq and Ghulam Mohmmad Rather.
In Budgam, the protest was led by Saifudin Bhat, district president; senior leader Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjoora; Aga Syed Mehmood, Nazir Ahmad Yatoo, Aftab Ahmad Mir and others.
In Ganderbal, the demonstration was led by the senior party leader Qazi Mohammad Afzal, Ghulam Rasool Shaheen, and Syed Irfan Naqashbandi and others, while as in Kangan, the protest was led by senior leader, Bashir Ahmad Mir and Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, zone president.
In Kulgam, the senior party leader and deputy speaker Mohammad Sartaj Madni led the protests and addressed the gathering. Others who were present on the occasion include: Nazir Ahmad Laway, district president; Abdul Majeed Paddar, Zaffarullah Wani Farooq Ahmad, Sunaullah and others.
In Kupwara, the protest was led by Abdul Haq Khan, MLA; Fayaz Ahmad Mir, Irfan Sultan Panditpuri, Ghulam Nabi Panditpuri, Haji Ghulam Mohammad Mir, Mohammad Afzal Wani and others.
In Pulwama, the protest was led by Mohammad Khalil Bandh, MLA; Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, Syed Bashir Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, Mukhtar Ahmad Bandh, Showkat Gayoor and others.
In Shopian the protest was led by state secretary Zaffar Iqbal Manhas; Mohammad Shafi Banday, district president; Ghulam Mohiudin Wani, Yawar Banday, Zubair Yousuf, Mohsin and others.
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