J&K, UP sign transport agreement
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 7: Governor Satya Pal Malik said today that there was no massacre going on in Kashmir and described Jammu and Kashmir just like any other State saying more murders are witnessed in Patna, the capital City of Bihar in a single day as against total casualties in the Valley in one week.
Malik said militancy and law and order situation was well under control in Jammu and Kashmir including the Valley and that recruitment of local youth into the militants’ ranks has been largely contained.
Malik, who was the Bihar Governor before the Central Government shifted him to militancy-infested Jammu and Kashmir on August 23, was in Patna today to address an event.
“The law and order situation in militancy-infested State including the Kashmir valley is similar to any other province in the nation,” he said.
Comparing Kashmir with Bihar, Malik claimed that more crimes are recorded in the Hindi heartland State than in the Valley. He said that more murders are witnessed in Patna each day as against the total casualties recorded in the Valley each week.
“Jammu and Kashmir is just like any other State,” Malik said and asserted that there has been no massacre going on in any part of the State including the Valley at this time.
Some of the political parties had described killings of seven civilians during encounter between militants and security forces in Pulwama district of South Kashmir on December 16 as massacre of the civilians. However, security forces especially Jammu and Kashmir Police have repeatedly been issuing advisories to the civilians to refrain from visiting encounter sites till they are sanitized and declared safe by security forces after completion of the operation.
Malik maintained that normalcy has returned to the Valley and Kashmir was just like any other province in the country.
“Stone pelting incidents have stopped in the Valley during the past few months and recruitment of local youth into the militants has been reduced to zero,” the Governor said, adding that youth were now engaged in different activities including studies, career building, sports etc.
Meanwhile, a Reciprocal Transport Agreement between the Governments of Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh was signed in presence of Governor Satya Pal Malik and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath today in Lucknow. Swatantra Dev Singh, Transport Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Govind Singh Thakur, Transport Minister of Himachal Pradesh were present on the occasion.
Principal Secretary Transport, J&K, Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon and Principal Secretary Transport, Uttar Pradesh, Aradhana Shukla, signed the Agreement on behalf of Governments of J&K and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.
This Agreement has been signed to facilitate operation of Road Transport Corporation Buses of both the States in each other’s territories.
Emphasising the significance of strengthening transport facilities between the States, the Governor observed that movement of people and goods between regions acts as an integrating factor which helps in broadening understanding between people belonging to diverse cultures and strengthening economic bonds between them.
Observing that signing of this Agreement will cater to the rising demand and provision of better transport facility to people of both the States, Malik described it as a significant step towards boosting the economy, and for facilitating students studying in educational institutions of both the States and the intending pilgrims to the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji in Katra.
As per the Agreement, initially six buses of each State shall operate whereby JKSRTC will cover the three routes of Jammu-Lucknow via Delhi Kanpur; Jammu-Aligarh via ISBT /Kashmiri Gate, ISBT Sarai Kaley Khan, New Delhi-Yamuna Expressway and Jammu-Agra via ISBT/ Kashmiri Gate, ISBT Sarai Kaley Khan, New Delhi-Yamuna Expressway.
UPSRTC will operate on Mathura-Delhi-Katra (via Yamuna Expressway); Saharanpur-Ambala-Jalandhar-Pathankot-Jammu-Katra and Muzzafarnagar-Haridwar-Jammu-Katra.
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