| Nomad community has suffered, needs focused development: Mehbooba | | 'People must weigh performance of different political parties' | |
Early Times Report
Srinagar 28 Aug: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday said the large Gujjar community after having suffered centuries of neglect and exploitation need a focussed and composite development plan to ensure their progress and decent life.
Addressing a gathering of community representatives of Gujjars and Bakerwals at Peer-ki-Gali, on the historic Mughal road, PDP leader said, "While making efforts to give a push to the development of this most backward section of our society, it has to be ensured that their traditions and environment are preserved."
PDP president Mehbooba said Gujjars are an important community of the state and their input to our economy and cultural variety has been immense, but unfortunately the benefits of progress have failed to reach them.
These innocent people have always been exploited and used as a vote bank and audience for public meetings without ever trying to address their problems of survival, leave alone their issues of development. Mehbooba also said the number of schemes, launched by the Government of India, for their focused welfare have been derailed by the present government in State.
Referring to the border tensions, Mehbooba said the tension and fear along the LoC and borders, which had ended following the ceasefire pact between India and Pakistan in 2003, has returned to haunt the people there among them is the larger section of Gujjar population.
She said even though the community had traditionally supported and voted for National Conference, but all key welfare majors, benefiting the community were taken when NC was out of power. She said the tribal status to the community was granted by Janata Dal led government in 1991 and the NC and Congress were not in power then. Accrediting PDP for opening new era of development, she said mega projects like the Mughal road and the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, which are of special significances for Poonch and Rajouri regions having larger concentration of Gujjars , were initiated by the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led government.
In contrast to this, she said the present government has failed to construct the model schools sanctioned by the Government of India for tribal students at every district headquarter. "Similar is the fate of Gujjar Bakerwal hostels which are in a mess and the special scholarship schemes offered by the Govt of India to tribal students," said Mehbooba. She said the wool and woollen products which in the past were significant source of income for the community have suffered a slump in the market as a result of changed customer preferences. The wool board, which was supposed to support prices to sheep breeders, has ceased to function and the government needs to revive the market intervention in wool. Appealing the community leaders to appreciate the difference between different parties, Mehbooba said it is high time that the people and especially those from Gujjar community, who have been forgotten for decades, assess the performance of NC its allies and the PDP. She said the party has clear vision about solving the problems of all sections of society including the more neglected Gujjars.
Senior party leader and former finance minister Tariq Hameed Karra, MLA Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ahmad, MLA Abdul Haq Khan, MLA Syed Basharat Bukhari, Chief Spokesperson & MLC Naeem Akhtar, party state secretary Zaffar iqbal Manhas, district president Mohammad Shafi Banday, Gujjar leader Zaffar Chaudhary, womens wing coordinator Anjum Fazilli, youth leaders Waheed Ur Rehman parra, Yawar Banday and Zubair Yousuf were also present and spoke on this occasion. |
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