Jammu: Hitting out at BJP Government for making life of people miserable due to incompetent policies and administrative inexperience, former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today said that people of J&K are cursing this insensitive Govt on daily basis for ignoring them completely and making them suffer for everything.“The mess created by Govt has resulted in total administrative failure in the Jammu division”, Bhalla said while interacting with party workers of Bahu Fort area in Gandhi Nagar constituency on Saturday. The former Minister alleged that the administration is in a virtual dysfunction due to lack of political direction.
Making a mention of lofty promises made by the BJP during elections, Bhalla alleged that BJP leaders are busy only in delivering sermons and repeating of repeated hallow claims. However, he said the fact remains that developmental activities are almost invisible and no concrete measures are taken to address the issues of livelihood. Most of the projects which are visualized, do not get started and those which have been started often do not meet their end is the trend of Jammu projects. Due to non serious approach of the Government, wasting precious public money and abandoning projects is the ultimate viable solution for the Government. The mega development projects, including expansion of Jammu Airport, the ring road project, four laning of Jammu-Akhnoor road, multi-tier parking at general bus stand, development of Tawi river front, Jammu ropeway project and the upcoming legislative complex are moving at snail’s pace under BJP rule.
In addition to this no considerable development has been seen on augmentation of Chenab water supply scheme and sewerage projects, restoration of Mubarak Mandi heritage complex, development of facilities at Suchetgarh under the border tourism, the AIIMS project, IIT and IIM Jammu campuses, Bhalla said. Various issues, including forest clearance, land acquisition for these projects and payment of compensation to the landowners going on at slowest pace due to apathy of Govt due to lack of will to frame tentative activity calendar and take all stakeholders on board to remove bottlenecks, he said. He said lack of adopting professional approach for the execution of various developmental projects; these projects have already missed several deadlines.
Bhalla questioned the criminal silence of BJP Government over pending MGNREGA liabilities amounting to crores, as a result of which thousands of poor workers are suffering for want of pending payments of their wages.He said despite series of protests by the Sarpanchs/Panchs and others, who have either supplied material or worked as labourers on works executed by Rural Development Department, a large number of people are awaiting payments of works done and executed by the RDD and same should be cleared at the earliest, he said.Bhalla said previous BJP Government had caused the mess and poor job card holders have become victims of their work culture.
Several MLAs/MLCs issued instructions under convergence schemes to execute the works, which were also inaugurated with their name-plates on them, without getting MGNRGA payments cleared. Why should those who supplied material to the department or who worked as labourers suffer for such a long time, he said.Bhalla also questioned BJP leaders for their criminal silence and failure to get these liabilities cleared from the present dispensation. He also sought immediate disbursement of funds, committed during back to village exercise to the respective Panchayats directly, without any delay. The funds should be transferred to respective Panchayats directly to carry-out commitments under the Sarpanchs/Panchs without any hassles, he demanded.
Bhalla targeted the BJP-led Central Govt over growing unemployment in the country asking BJP to clear its stand over the 2.5 crore jobs promises made with the people of the country during the last Parliamentary polls. Accusing BJP of bartering away the pride and honour of people of Jammu region to satisfy its lust for power, former Minister appealed to Jammuites to expose and depose the BJP’s juggernaut for its sheer opportunism. Bhalla said that the wrong policies of BJP has plunged J&K into unprecedented crisis. He said that BJP used emotive slogans to exploit the sentiments of the people.The BJP manifesto said its government would take strict measures to check price rise and would set up special courts to stop hoarding and black marketing. However, no special courts have been set up so far.
The BJP-led NDA government has failed to control the prices of petroleum products as well. The country is reeling under highest ever petrol and diesel prices.Besides the petroleum products, the prices of other commodities are also hovering on the higher side.One of the most publicised promises made by Modi during the Lok Sabha elections’ campaign was that the NDA government would credit Rs 15 lakh in every citizen’s bank account, after it had brought back the black money stashed overseas.From 2014 till now, the Prime Minister has been asked on several occasions over the status of his promise. At least on two occasions, private citizens filed an RTI application with the Prime Minister’s Office asking when they would get their promised Rs 15 lakh.
Coming down heavily on BJP, Bhalla sought to know whether the people voted the BJP to power at the Centre and in J&K to continue grappling with high inflation.”Did the people vote government to power in J&K and at the Centre to let the monster called inflation sit on people’s chests and continue to wreak havoc? Will the prices of essential commodities continue to increase? What the about the economy of the country?” Bhalla asked.”It was easy to blame inflation on then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while the UPA government was in power. But now the government has changed. Six years have passed, but the new government has failed to use its magic wand and ward off inflation,” he said.
The BJP led NDA Government has betrayed and cheated the refugees of 1947, 1965 & 1971 from PoK and those from West Pakistan in package announced by the Prime Minister .He said that the package of one time settlement of refugees of 1947, 1965 and 1971 comprising financial assistance/ex-gratia relief of Rs 25 lakhs per family amounting to over Rs 9000 crore along with several other concessions including reservation to their wards was recommended by the previous Congress Government to the Centre, after hot pursuit by the Congress and various organization of refugees.
The BJP which promised to ensure one time settlement of refugees for PoK including from Chhamb area, Mirpur, Poonch and Muzaffarabad districts under illegal occupation of Pak besides promising citizenship to West Pakistan refugees before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, has betrayed them after assuming power both at the Centre and sharing the same in the State. Soon after coming to power, the Modi Government had returned the package to the State Government without any reason, adding insult to their injuries.Bhalla said package of ex-gratia recommended by the Congress-NC Government for the PoK refugee families alone was to the extent of over 9000 crores but the present Centre Government failed to grant the same.