Srinagar: CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Sunday said the taking over of community halls in Srinagar by the CRPF and coming up of new security bunkers across Kashmir has “punctured” the BJP government’s normalcy claims in the union territory.
Addressing party workers in the Kund area of Qazigund in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Tarigami said the security bunkers are coming up at every nook and corner of Srinagar and new paramilitary companies have been called into the Valley.
“The situation has reached a stage where additional CRPF personnel are being stationed in marriage halls which is the only private space left for people here…Taking over of even marriage halls by the CRPF and coming up of new security bunkers across the valley has punctured the BJP government’s ‘normalcy’ claims in J&K after the unconstitutional abrogation of the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370,” he said.
His remarks came after reports of a few community halls or marriage halls being taken over by the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force in the city here. The security forces’ presence has been strengthened in Srinagar following a recent spike in the militant attacks.
However, the CRPF has said the additional troops from within the Valley were deployed in the city in view of the requirement.
It also said the places for accommodating the forces were chosen by the civil administration.
Tarigami said the BJP’s “fake narrative” about progress and development in Jammu and Kashmir post August 05, 2019, gets “trashed” by such incidents.
“Every day more draconian laws are brought in with the sole purpose of suffocating people into silence,” he added.
The CPI(M) leader said the “only progress” that has been made in the last three years is the creation of “more tools of repression”.
“J&K has been made a model police state with no redressal mechanism or constitutional institution. The highest unemployment rate of 21.6 percent and staggering inflation rate of 7.39 percent in J&K belies the claims of the BJP’s ‘growth and development’ in the region post 2019,” he said.
Tarigami said J&K is a “political issue” and needs a political outreach and not additional forces, “more draconian laws and repression”.
“When the already available forces and draconian laws could not control the situation, how can additional forces and new draconian laws do?” he asked.
He said ever-since August 2019, the incomes of people in J&K associated with the informal sector, consisting of low wage workers have “dwindled sharply” due to a major unemployment wave.
“Some of the severely affected people include construction workers, auto and bus drivers, small shop owners and daily wage labourers. ASHA and Anganwari workers are not being paid their meager wages on time in J&K,” he said.
He said despite the last three decades of “conflict”, the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir, which is considered as the backbone of the region’s economy, was flourishing till a few years back. However, the decline started after unseasonal snowfall in November 2018 and 2019, when the apple crop and trees received damages.
“The fruit industry in Kashmir faced economic consequences due to the August 2019 lockdown, followed by COVID-19 lockdowns wreaking havoc on it. This year also early snowfall in October dealt another blow to the farmers, especially in south Kashmir’s Kulgam and Shopian districts.
“Not only yet to be plucked fruit was damaged due to the snowfall, but it caused damage to fruit trees as well which will be difficult for farmers to compensate for. Till now no compensation has been paid to the affected farmers and even proper loss assessment has not been done,” he said.
He called for adequate compensation to the affected orchardists. (With inputs from PTI)
