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| Jammu up-ante over 'Rather's Amarnath road' statement | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 23: Jammu based political and non political organizations have upped ante over the statement of Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather on the construction of mettled road to Shri Amarnath Shrine.
Rather had outrightly denied that government was planning to construct road towards Amarnath Shrine. President of Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha Jagdish Dogra severely criticized the Statement Abdul Rahim Rather Finance Minister of J&K State that the J&K Government has no plans to construct road to Shri Amarnath Shrine. He sharply condemned State Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma who became a party to the statement
given during joint press conference that government has no plans to go ahead with the Shri Amarnath Shrine road project.
"Despite fact the Supreme Court of India recent direction to improve facilities for the pilgrims, he said adding, "the opposition of some Kashmiri separatists leaders for the construction of road Shri Amarnath Shrine is a brainchild of their communal ideology which is being encourages by the Congress party also."
He said, "It is highly objectionable that state government is spending cross of rupees for lakes in Kashmir Valley and but Ministers of government issuing unwanted statement violating and challenging the verdict of the Supreme Court, which need to be honored for Unity and Integrity of the State."
Reacting to remarks from Minister for Finance A R Rather, the Kranti Dal leadership comprising Anan Sharma (Chairman), Raj Roop Singh (President) and its general secretary Pritam Sharma in a meeting sought implementation of the Supreme Court order to construct a road from base camps Pahalgam and Baltal to Amarnath Ji Shrine. They added that building of road was suggested by the Special High Powered Committee (SHPC) headed by Governor of J&K will be built for the Yatris.
They said that Hurriyat Leaders Moulvi Omar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani opposed such development and threatened that they will create lawlessness and took to streets. They further said that construction of road would boost the pilgrimage and help the sate exchequer in a big way. Anan Sharma said if the Government failed to construct the road to Shrine Board they are again inviting the situation of 2008 when all likeminded parties with full support from people all over India and specially from Jammu region. Among those present on the occasion included Jagdish Soodan, Rajinder Bhagat, Vijay Kumar, Bhopinder, Anoop Singh, Tarun Ram Sharma, Sham Lal, Akhil Gandotra and Amit Bhat.
Citing scientific references from books by noted Geology experts and research papers by Environment experts, BJP National Executive Member & State Chief Spokesperson Dr Jitendra Singh has refuted the environmental pollution "theory" perpetuated by certain
Kashmir-centric experts opposing construction of a permanent track enroute Amarnath cave shrine.
He challenged the so-called environment protagonists within Hurriyat as well in ruling National Conference party to scientifically prove what they are saying.
Making a dig at ruling National Conference and the Hurriyat, Dr Singh asked why these wise men remained silent when thousands of trees were cut to construct the Mughal Road. If a cable car ropeway could be brought up at Gulmarg without disturbing ecology, why it can't be brought up enroute Amarnath, which is far away from inhabitant population area, he asked. Dr Singh also refuted the weather-based approach to determine the duration of Amarnath Yatra and quoted Jawaharlal Nehru's biography who soon after his wedding had undertaken the Yatra alongwith his bride Kamla in end of March or beginning of April. He also quoted book by a former Additional Director General of Geological Survey of India to say that May to September were most suitable months for a trek along the route.
Dr Singh alleged that arguments made by certain self-styled Kashmir-based environment activists are purely subjective and if they are genuinely concerned about environment preservation in Kashmir valley, they would better demand limiting the number of tourists visiting the valley to prevent pollution.
BJP leader further said that such negative, baseless and unscientific statements by some Kashmir-based activists are politically motivated and aimed at dividing society on religious lines. He reiterated that by being judgemental about observations made by Supreme Court of India, the state coalition ministers had committed contempt of court
and at the same time usurped the autonomous authority of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board but surprisingly the Board Chairman, Governor, chooses to remain silent.
Meanwhile Shri Ram Sena also criticized the statement of finance minister Abdul Rahim Rather in which he said that there is no proposal yet to construct the road to Shri Amarnath Ji cave shrine, the order for which was passed by Supreme Court of India recently. Shri Ram Sena state president Rajiv Mahajan while addressing a press conference here today said Mahajan said that NC led state coalition government is a puppet in the hands of separatists whose writ runs large in Valley.
It is evident from the past history, whenever the separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani intimidated government on any issue; the government at once comes to action and bows before Geelani's diktat. "Last year, Geelani asked for reducing the Amarnath Yatra period and government reduced the Yatra period. Now Geelani resisted to the construction of road enroute to shrine as ordered by Supreme Court of India, the state government again bowed against him and came with the statement that there is yet no proposal to construct the road, he said.
Rajiv Mahajan said that appeasement policy towards separatists merely for vote bank will not be tolerated at any cost.
The Supreme Court, taking cognizance of the death of over 100 pilgrims this year en route to the Amarnath shrine, situated in South Kashmir, directed the setting up of a special high-powered committee to suggest measures for better arrangements for the pilgrimage. The committee, headed by Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, is expected to submit its report by the first week of September.
Court directed building of infrastructure for the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage and Separatist Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooq was the first to protest the provision of better infrastructure for pilgrims, claiming it would disturb the region's ecology.
Mirwaiz said that construction of roads and setting up of infrastructure for pilgrims would entail the felling of trees, which will immensely affect the sensitive environment of the area and cause pollution, resulting in the melting of glaciers.
The civil society groups supported administrative measures to ensure good health and well-being of pilgrims, but said: "Construction of roads and cable cars will not help in preventing deaths because of the inherent health risks in high altitude travel."
This prompted Jammu-based Hindu religious groups and political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Panthers Party and the Jammu State Morcha to come out in favour of construction of infrastructure for pilgrims.
They accused the state government of "adopting a policy of appeasing the separatists and disrupting the smooth conduct of the Amarnath pilgrimage." They even added that the government was deliberately trying to create a 2008-like situation, when groups in Jammu agitated for over two months to get about 40 hectares of land at a base camp allotted to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. This was widely opposed in the Valley.
The government, in its bid to soothe tempers in the Valley, hurriedly called a press conference on Sunday which was addressed by National Conference trouble-shooter and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather who categorically dismissed reports of constructing a macadem road or installing a ropeway to the Amarnath Shrine. This instead of working assertively made the situation bad to worse
Earlier in 2008, Abdullah, who was then a member of the Lok Sabha, had said in the house: "We will not give an inch of our land to the (Shri Amarnath) Shrine Board. Kashmiris have never demolished or desecrated temples. Despite all tensions, they did not touch the Amarnath Yatris. We are not communal like you (BJP people). Muslims have always supported the yatra and will continue to do so. The issue was that of land wrested from people. We fought for the land and will continue to fight for the land". |
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