Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Chief Spokesperson and In Charge Constituency Zadibal Tanvir Sadiq on Sunday said that half-baked policies cannot tackle the growing public issues in Srinagar city.
Addressing a one-day workers’ convention in Nowshahr,( Zadibal constituency), Tanvir asserted that Srinagar is not just confined to City center Lal Chowk and MA Road, saying there is a vast unattended urban city population, whose problems need robust solutions.
“Makeshift, and patchwork are the hallmarks of Srinagar’s development scenario. It was claimed that the age-old bullock cart approach of the town building process would no longer impede the developmental activities in the city. But the ground situation in Srinagar is quite contrary to what was claimed,” he said.
“There has been no substantial and concerted effort on the government’s part in securing inclusive and resilient economic growth in Srinagar. The haphazard works being carried out in Srinagar city center defies basic common sense. Where do we see roads being narrowed down? In Srinagar, it’s the other way round,” he said.
Expressing dismay over the sorry state of affairs in Srinagar saying that the city had been rescinded from the development agenda of the incumbent government, Tanvir said, “Over the past six years, Shahar-e-Khas bore the brunt of successive lockdowns and curbs. Shopkeepers, artisans, and marginal traders were not able to do their business here. We have more than three families living in one house. Youth of Shahar-e-Khas are unemployed, the heritage is in shambles, and it has been years since the city infrastructure received any upgradation and augmentation.”
He said that the successive orders of the incumbent administration has left no scope for the early revival of businesses in Srinagar.
“The contracting economic activities already have had an adverse effect on the household incomes, the escalation of tariff on basic public utilities and soaring inflation has pushed people, especially the lower middle class and BPL families to the wall,” he said.
“Let alone spending on clothing, medicine and education, people are not able to get two square meals for their families. It was expected that the crumbling economic activities in J&K post 5 August 2019 will have a restraining effect on the government’s taxation policy but the unabated rise in electricity and water tariff has given slip to the unconcerned attitude of the government,” he said.
He further said that demolition drive, imposition of property tax, and increasing menace of drug addiction is deepening the despair of the poor across the city.
Meanwhile, the party’s YNC Provincial President, Kashmir Salman Ali Sagar presided over a meeting of Central zone functionaries of the party’s youth wing here at the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar.
