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| Government following biased approach: PDP | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 25: Slamming the state government for following "discriminatory" and "biased" approach, the main Opposition in the State Legislature, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today accused it of ignoring the constituencies held by Opposition MLAs while releasing the additionalities.
Raising a query over funds allocated through additionalities for different constituencies, PDP MLA from Darhal, Choudhary Zulfikar Ali blamed that the additionalities were released purely on the political grounds.
Interestingly, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior MLA of the party, Muzaffar Hussain Beig had also certain words of advice for the Minister holding the charge of Planning and Development Department.
"In Rajouri assembly segment, the Government has allocated over Rs 9 crore additionalities while in my constituency only Rs 38 lakh additionalities has been released. Why this discrimination against my constituency? The areas held by the opposition are being completely neglected by the government," Zulfikar charged.
Though the Minister of State In charge Planning and Development Department, Dr Manhor Lal, in his reply provided an overall overview of the Cabinet-cum-District Development Board meetings chaired by the Chief Minister (CM) where the CM has discretionary powers to release funds as additionalities, yet it led to pandemonium in the House as all opposition MLAs called upon the Minister for an explanation over the "discrimination".
Dr Manohar Lal said, "Additionalities were released on the recommendations made by the MLAs and MLCs in the Cabinet-cum-District Development Board meeting."
In sharp reaction to the Minister's remarks, the MLA shouted, "You are misleading the House. This is wrong statement. We have not been taken into confidence before release of additionalities."
Intervening in the issue, Muzaffar Husain Beig said, "We are not leveling the allegations that the planning department funds are being looted. The member wants to know if any criteria are followed before allocation of funds to be used for additionalities in a particular constituency."
"If the Prime Minister visits different states of the country, he release additionalities based on local demand and need. Whenever, the former Chief Ministers, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had visited different areas of the State, they used to release additionalities based on local need for improvement of physical or social infrastructure in that particular area," he maintained.
"CM is not a king. He should use his discretional powers judiciously while allocating the additionalities in right perspectives, if needed," Beig suggested. He said that the government is guided by public interest and inform the reason.
Explaining in detail about the disbursement of funds under this aspect, Beig singled out three main features where the Chief Minister's discretional powers can take precedence over the District Development Board's allocation of such additionalities.
He said that if there is equity demand for need of allocation of the funds for a particular area or district that CM's discretionary powers come into use. "To take care of the social infrastructure like health, education and drinking water that additionalities can be released which gain priority over the physical aspects like road and electricity. Thirdly Chief Minister should minutely observe that the public should be beneficiary in all these attempts and should follow transparency," informed Beig.
Interrupting the statement of Beig, the Speaker announced the ending of question hour. Soon after the Beig's statement, Zulfkar Ali entered the Well and sought the Speaker's intervention for "justice".
Defending her cabinet colleague, Minister for Social Welfare, Sakina Itoo, however, stood up and said, "The government has released maximum amount of additionalities for Anantnag and Kulgam districts as compared to other constituencies held by the National Conference."
The Speaker asked the PDP MLA to make his complaint in written and assured that he would seek the suitable reply from the government.
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