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| A month later, celebrations mark Azad's two years in office | | Info deptt's belated extravaganza | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Nov 30: Nearly a month after the actual occasion, the Information and Public Relations department of the government today decked the stage for celebrations to mark Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's two years in office.
Azad's had completed his two years in office as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister on November 2, but it was today that the Information department got up with the idea of celebrations. Release of literature to mark achievements of the government in two years and photo exhibition of development projects were the main highlights of the "belated celebrations".
Interestingly, except for one odd Member of Legislative Council, entire brigade of the Peoples Democratic Party including the Ministers and legislators were conspicuous by their absence.
Addressing the function the Chief Minister said when he took over the responsibilities of the State he had thoroughly reviewed the scenario and found that three areas including waging a war against corruption that had eaten up the vitals of the society, tackling militancy and building critically required infrastructure needed focused attention. He said, he accordingly set out his priorities and did not resort to slogan politics.
The Chief Minister said that infrastructure development received the thrust during the past two years since he had been at the helm and an entirely new atmosphere had dawned in the State where construction of critically required projects were going apace in the length and breadth of Jammu & Kashmir. He said projects that took decades to complete were now finished within the shortest possible time and according to schedule. He said bridges, roads, educational institutions and hospitals were being constructed and upgraded and the development process extended to remote areas and the State was successfully advancing towards the goal of prosperity and all out development.
The Chief Minister said he introduced a healthy work culture where-under it was being ensured that development projects were completed within a fixed time frame even by resorting to double and triple shifts. He said this had transformed the entire development scenario with benefits percolating down to the grass root level even in remote and till now neglected areas. He said a mechanism of reward and punishment has also been put in place under which officials with merit and integrity were rewarded and those failing in their duties proceeded against. He said a law was enacted in the State, for the first time anywhere, under which ill-gotten properties of government officials were seized.
Azad said that his government ensured that while militancy was effectively tackled, the general public did not face any inconvenience. He said the current year had been the best of the last two decades of militancy in terms of lowest ever civilian and security forces casualties. He said not a single case of custodial disappearance had been reported so far in the State even as the fidayeen attacks made during the year showed a declining trend. He hoped that 2008 would prove to be more satisfying in terms of peace and development for the State.
The Chief Minister said that on the political front, peace process with Pakistan was carried forward and could have been taken further but for the internal situation of Pakistan resulting in temporary set back to talks. He hoped that the new government in the neighbouring country taking office after the elections there would continue the policy of General Musharraf over J&K who had ruled out independence for the State as well as said that his country had no claim over the territory. As far as his stand on J&K was concerned, he hoped that the new government in Pakistan would follow that. |
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