Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 18: Police used water cannon, tear gas, brute force and cane charge on Saturday on agitating Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) workers who hit the roads across the state to protest failure of the coalition government on all fronts during last five years.
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, a statement issued to said.
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.
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. According to a statement, 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.
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.
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 Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, Mohammad Shafi Banday, district president; Ghulam Mohiudin Wani, Yawar Banday, Zubair Yousuf, Mohsin and others.
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