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| Azad lashes out at anti-development leaders, their pen-wielding supporters | | Says they want to keep people deprived to grind their own axe | | Early Times Reporter
Ganderbal | Apr 10
Cautioning people against political leaders and their pen-wielding supporters, who want the atmosphere of violence and killings in Jammu and Kashmir to perpetuate so that they could grind their own axe, the CM said that these people only representing one percent of the population are engaged in distorting facts and presenting a negative picture of the State.
Addressing a large public meeting, after launching Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign, here today, the Chief Minister termed this miniscule minority as enemies of development and people of the State. He asked the masses to watch against their activities and statements. He said the negative writings that their pen-wielding supporters contribute to newspapers were deplorable. All this, he said, was aimed at depriving people of the fruits of development and keep alive an atmosphere of insecurity so that the houses of the few were filled with fortunes while the people at large were made to suffer.
The CM said that there were some political parties and their leaders who did not want hospitals, schools, roads, colleges, universities and other public utility infrastructure to be constructed in the State because development goes against their agenda of continuation of violence and destruction. The atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity makes their vocation of amassing wealth a brisk business while the massive development activities going on across the State were sure to close down their shops, he said and asked them to shut down their anti-people firms as the masses in the State had seen through their game plan and were in no mood to be hoodwinked anymore.
Azad asked people to see for themselves who had benefited from the situation the State was thrown into two decades ago. He said labourers, teachers, shopkeepers and other people who form the majority of the population continued to have a hand-to-mouth living while some people amassed wealth and constructed palatial houses. Everybody knew where they get the money. He said he did not want to open the Pandora's Box but at the same time warned them against continuing with their anti-people activities. He said for 60 years people of the State had seen that hollow slogans do not take them anywhere. He said he had spent several years of his life in Kashmir pursuing studies and knew well the negative politics of these leaders and political parties. He said empty slogans were no answer to the people's problems. He said destructive politics had ruined thousands
of households and snatched as many lives of the innocent people. It was about time, he said, that the negative and destructive politics was given a burial and development provided a congenial atmosphere to carry on. He asked people to support the development offensive launched by the government in the State.
The Chief Minister said that state currently witnessing an unprecedented era of infrastructure building throughout the State. He particularly talked about public utility sectors where his government, with liberal central assistance, was raising infrastructure on a massive scale. He referred to the flagship programmes of the Government of India and said that under the PMGSY, all villages in the State would be connected with roads. He said while from 2000 to 2006, Rs. 172 crores were spent on constructing 157 roads of 586 kms, during the next three years since then, Rs. 2000 crores would be spent on construction of 3070 kms road length in the State. He said never in the history of the State had so many road projects been taken in hand.
In the health sector, the Chief Minister said that 20 district and sub-district hospitals were completed in one and half year. He said in a month or so equipment would be made available and the hospitals fully made functional. He said all district hospitals were being upgraded in the next two years. He said this year in Kashmir alone, 35 PHCs would be made operational round-the-clock. Blood banks, he said, would be constructed at block level. He said under NREGS, labourers were provided 100 days of employment within 15 days of their registration. He said if a labourer did not get work in the stipulated time he or she would be paid while sitting at home.
About Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, all big and small cities of the State would have improved, he said adding that while the funding pattern for other States was 50:50 between central and the state government, for J&K it was 90:10.
About the power sector, the Chief Minister said that in next four years all villages of the State would be electrified adding the 390 MW Dul-Hasti project would be commissioned by the Prime Minister later this month while the Baglihar project would start power generation this year also. He said 80% of the power deficiency would be covered this year while in next year and a half, the State would be self sufficient in power. He called for a check on power pilferage and urged people to recognize their duties as citizens of the State. He said the PHE sector was also poised for a promising progress, adding that several water schemes were in hand which would be completed by 2012 to provide drinking water to all people.
Appreciating holding of Bharat Nirman Public Awareness Campaign in the State, the CM said this would help masses to know about the schemes meant for them and allow them to take maximum benefit of these.
The Minister for Forest and Environment, Qazi Muhammad Afzal, in his address, dwelt in detail on the achievements of the coalition government. He said the development activities launched by the coalition government in 2002 had been speeded up during the stewardship of Ghulam Nabi Azad. The Minister also gave an overview of the development activities being carried out in the newly created district of Ganderbal. He requested the Chief Minister to make available funds for the early completion of the degree college building.
The Chief Minister visited the college building site and announced that money would be provided to complete the project in next two to three months.
Earlier, Deputy Director, Press Information Bureau, B. A. Malik threw light on the Bharat Nirman Public Awareness Campaign.
Senior politician, Ghulam Rasool Kar, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mehboob Iqbal and Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, S. M.Sahai were also present. |
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