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| Azad harmed Jammu more as compared to other CMs | | Creation Of New Districts | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 21: Addressing a public meeting at Phinter Playground, Billawar, Kathua, on April 18, Union Health Minister and former JKPCC president Ghulam Nabi Azad boasted that it was he who created more districts in the State and met the age-old demand of the people seeking creation of more districts. He also said that he went beyond what the Wazir Commission had recommended and asserted that Billawar would get status of district only if the Congress party is at the helm of affairs in the State.
The crux of Azad's whole argument was that he belongs to Jammu and that he did much for the people of this province. It is an exaggerated statement. The fact is that he harmed the people of Jammu province more as compared to all of his predecessors, barring present Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, whose Government in collaboration with the Congress, has been doing all that it could to further jeopardize the general political and economic rights and interests of the people of this marginalized and grossly ignored region. Just one example will be enough to expose his bias against Jammu and it related to the implementation of the so-called Wazir Commission recommendations.
As per the Wazir Commission report of 1983, Jammu deserved a minimum of 10 districts and Kashmir only 7. But Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad bypassed this recommendation and increased the number of districts in Kashmir with one stroke of pen from the existing 6 to 10 in 2007, one each for 1585.3 sq km on an average, with a couple of districts just one-tehsil district (for example, Shopian). He created 4 more districts in Kashmir despite the fact that there was no such demand anywhere in the Valley.
Azad also increased the number of districts in Jammu province from 6 to 10 at the rate of one per 2629.3 sq km on an average. The people of Jammu, who fought for more districts between 1975 and 2007 and laid down half a dozen lives for this cause, wanted the State Government to implement the Wazir Commission recommendations in letter and spirit. But Azad implemented the report in a wrong way, saying it believed in the "principle of justice and equity" overlooking the fact that Jammu had more land area, major portion of which is treacherous, difficult, mountainous and inaccessible.
The people of Jammu region had hoped that Azad would treat all the three regions of the State equally. The hope had stemmed from the fact that the Congress had contested the 2002 Assembly elections in the State on four Jammu specific planks -- implementation of the Wazir Commission report and creation of three additional districts in Jammu and one in Kashmir, establishment of regional development board, due share to Jammu in the Assembly and end of discrimination (Election Manifesto, 2002). But this did not happen. What happened was to the contrary. Take, for example, the July 6, 2006 Cabinet decision on the creation of new districts. The July 6 decision proposed to create an equal number of districts in Kashmir and Jammu -- 4 districts each - despite the fact that there was no demand whatever in Kashmir for additional districts - a fact acknowledged by Azad on the same day while interacting with reporters. He implemented the decision despite bitter opposition in Jammu.
The Srinagar district in Kashmir, which had a land area of 2,228 sq km and which consisted of 168 villages, was divided into two districts -- Srinagar and Ganderbal. Contrast to this, Jammu district, which had an area of 3,079 sq km and consisted of 1,054 villages, was left high and dry, nothing withstanding the creation of Samba district out of it. It is important to note that Jammu district was far more superior to Srinagar district in terms of population and land area, including the balanced area. For instance, the population of Jammu district, according to the 2001 census, was 15,71,911, as against the Srinagar district's 11,83,493. As for the balanced area (where developmental activities could be undertaken), it was 1, 882 sq km in Jammu and 1,537 sq km in Srinagar.
Similarly, the erstwhile Pulwama district in Kashmir, which had an area of 1,398 sq km and balanced area of 315 sq km and which consisted of 536 villages, was divided into two districts -- Pulwama and Shopian. On the other hand, Kathua district in Jammu province, which had a land area of 2,651 sq km and balanced area more than five times that of Pulwama and which consisted of 555 villages, was left untouched. The balanced area of Pulwama and Kathua districts was 315 sq km and 1,616 sq km, respectively. Hiranagar tehsil in Kathua district was bigger in size as compared to the erstwhile Pulwama district.
Besides, Srinagar city, which was way behind Jammu city in terms of population and area, was divided into two tehsils - Srinagar North and Srinagar South - with river Jhelum as the dividing line. On the other hand, Jammu city, through which River Tawi passes, was left untouched. It would be appropriate to point out here that while Jammu Municipal Corporation consisted of 71 wards, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation consisted of 65 wards.
All this shows that Azad caused more harm to Jammu province. That was the reason the Congress did not perform well in Jammu province in 2008. The Congress could win only 13 out of Jammu's 37 Assembly seats. Azad and supporters would do well to rectify their mistake by making the State Government set up at least four more new districts in Jammu province, one each in Kathua, Jammu, Rajouri and Udhampur districts. |
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