Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar on Thursday said that the incumbent LG administration has forsaken the development demands of the people of Srinagar.
This he said while addressing a meeting of In Charge Constituencies and block presidents of district Srinagar at the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha Srinagar. The meeting was convened by District President Srinagar Peer Afaq Ahmed.
Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, Haji Mubarak Gul, Shameema Firdous, Irfan Shah, Ahsan Pardesi, Salman Ali Sagar, Er. Sabiya Qadri, block presidents, and district-level functionaries attended the meeting.
Referring to difficulties faced by the people of Srinagar in the wake of the widening development deficit, administrative inertia and rising inflation, Sagar said, “Working their way through the hierarchies and multiple sections in different departments to have their issues addressed is a tedious process. The responsibilities are, more often than not, passed on by officials. The smart city mission was slated to transform Srinagar into an eco-friendly, resilient, and socio-economically vibrant city that celebrates its natural and cultural heritage, creating harmony and opportunities for all. But in reality, the real issues facing our people in terms of sewage treatment, traffic management, infrastructure buildings, clean water, power outages, and employment generation continue to remain unaddressed.”
In his address, Nasir Aslam Wani said, “There is no accountability on the ground; the fate of the vital projects initiated during the NC-led government has been put into limbo. Not even a single penny is being spent on the upgrading of road infrastructure in City areas. Srinagar has conventionally suffered on the development front whenever NC was not in power. We are aware of the development needs of the city which is the face of our region, however, the administrative rule post-2019 didn’t rise up to the demands of the historical city.”
Nasir alleged that the administration has completely failed in dispensing its basic duties. “People are feeling the heat of the ongoing ration crisis created by the Government of India’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s allotment quota. The Phased flood management plan on River Jhelum despite huge budgetary allocations and approvals is yet to pick up on the ground. The work was supposed to be done on war footing seeing the devastation the 2014 deluge wrecked on the entire populace. But the government seems to have dumped the mega project,” he said adding, “The annual desiltation and dredging of the small rivulets, ponds, swamps, irrigation canals and lagoons in Srinagar and elsewhere is not on the to-do list of the government. The entire population of Srinagar and other low-lying areas across Kashmir are living on a knife-edge.”
The meeting was marked by threadbare discussions on organizational matters, the party’s ongoing public outreach programme, and various public issues.
