Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 1: The strategic Jammu province is sitting on a volcano of discontent. The people of the region cutting across party lines are chaffing. They are seething with anger, which can explode anytime. And if it happens, the results would be disastrous. They constitute almost half of the State's population and inhabit land area two times that of Kashmir. They inhabit over 26,000 sq km of the State's land area, bulk of which highly treacherous, difficult and inaccessible, as against less than 16,000 sq km area the people of Kashmir occupy.
The anger of the people of Jammu province is not only directed towards the discriminatory, arrogant, selfish and insensitive powers-that-be in the state; it is also directed towards New Delhi and all political parties, without any exception. They say that New Delhi and Indian political class have harmed them more than the Kashmiri leadership. In fact, they accused New Delhi and Indian political class of making common cause with the undesirable elements in Kashmir in order to pamper them and benefit the already highly prosperous and developed Kashmir Valley.
They have put forth demands ranging from reorganization of the State to trifurcation of Jammu to the formation of Dogra-Pahari Pradesh, saying the segregation of Jammu province from Kashmir is a must, as the State constitution is Kashmir-centric.
The complaint of the people of Jammu province has been that since Independence they are being ill treated by the New Delhi-supported Kashmiri leadership. Their complaint appears genuine and well-founded. A reference to just one instance would be enough to establish that their complaint is genuine and it deals with allocation of funds.
The development of Jammu province has been prevented by inadequate funds allotted to it. For example, in the 8th Five Year Plan (1992-1997), 9th Five Year Plan (1997-2002), 10th Five Year Plan (2002-2007) and 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012), Jammu's share in agriculture sector was Rs 57.61 crore, Rs 147.31 crore, Rs 270.49 crore and Rs 337.56 crore, respectively; likewise irrigation sector was allocated Rs 91.14 crore, Rs 112.79 crore, Rs 267.76 crore and Rs 282.04 crore, respectively; roads and buildings sector was allocated Rs 144.2 crore, Rs 29.38 crore, Rs 730.93 crore and Rs 1229.24 crore, respectively; healthcare sector was given Rs 123.92 crore, Rs 226.07 crore, Rs 330.32 crore and Rs 510.81 crore, respectively; the tourism industry was allocated Rs 15.21 crore, Rs 34.99 crore, Rs 47.17 crore and Rs 36.29 crore, respectively; sewerage sector was allocated Rs 2.92 crore, Rs 6.26 crore, Rs 30.61 crore and Rs 11.54 crore, respectively; likewise drainage sector was given Rs 20.37 crore, Rs 27.84 crore, Rs 32.31 crore and Rs 67.75 crore, respectively; housing and urban development sector was granted amount of Rs 19.38 crore, Rs 39.87 crore, Rs 69.65 crore and Rs 279.4 crore,respectively; and power sector was granted a sum of Rs 516.75 crore, Rs 56.94 crore, Rs 1154.3 crore and Rs 3278.78 crore, respectively.
However, the share of Kashmir in such vital sectors as agriculture was Rs 104.5 crore, Rs 253.17 crore, Rs 380.29 crore and Rs 519.41 crore, respectively; irrigation sector was allocated Rs 136.64 crore, Rs 210.05 crore, Rs 466.72 crore and Rs 365.35 crore, respectively; roads and buildings sector was allocated Rs 247.22 crore, Rs 403.67 crore, Rs 751.03 crore and Rs 1229.24 crore, respectively; healthcare sector was granted Rs 135.34 crore, Rs 274.45 crore, Rs 390.25 crore and Rs 819.22 crore, respectively; tourism sector was given Rs 34.39 crore, Rs 58.01 crore, Rs 109.85 crore and Rs 83.09 crore, respectively; sewerage sector was allocated Rs 6.81 crore, Rs 14.61 crore, Rs 71.42 crore and Rs 35.67 crore, respectively; drainage sector was provided Rs 47.53 crore, Rs 64.96 crore, Rs 75.41 crore and Rs 1091.61 crore, respectively; housing and urban sector was allocated Rs 45.23 crore, Rs 93.02 crore, Rs 162.52 crore and Rs 518.88 crore, respectively; and power sector was granted Rs 775.12 crore, Rs 85.41 crore, Rs 1731.43 crore and Rs 4918.17 crore, respectively.
It needs to be noted that the people of Jammu province contribute more revenue to the State exchequer compared to Kashmir. For example, between 1975 and 2007, the State Government realised Rs 2474.802 crore from Jammu as sales tax and Rs 1075.29 crore from Kashmir. Similarly, between 2009 and 2012, the people of Jammu province, who consumed less electricity, paid power tariff to the tune of Rs 181,611 lakh, the people of Kashmir paid only Rs 115,910.06 lakh. In other words, people of Jammu province paid Rs 65,701.04 lakh more in comparison to Kashmir. But these constitute just two of the several such instances which show that Jammu contributes more than 70 per cent revenue to the State exchequer annually.
It is time for the authorities in the state to remove regional disparities and bring Jammu province at par with Kashmir without harming the genuine interests of the people of the valley. The people of Jammu province do want development at the cost of Kashmir; they only want a dispensation that doesn't discriminate between the regions, the castes and the communities. |
