Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 30: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today termed the transfer of NHPC-run Dulhasti and Uri power projects to the State Government as a test of credibility of both the Governments.
“It is the test of our credibility as well as the credibility of the Central Government as they have promised us this. Whatsoever be the procedures, these power projects shall be transferred to the State,” Sayeed said while replying to debate on the grants of his Departments (Home, GAD, Tourism, Information, Hospitality & Protocol etc) in the Legislative Assembly this afternoon, which were passed unanimously by the House after all members withdrew their cut motions.
In his 55 minutes reply, Mufti Sayeed referred to unemployment among educated youth saying they would be provided gainful employment in the Government sector by filling up all vacancies.
“We will establish a training institute in Chenab valley to provide training to skilled youth to increase their chances of employability, particularly in the power projects,” he said.
Asking the administration to ensure probity in day-to-day working, Mufti announced making State Vigilance Commission and the State Accountability Commission effective regulatory tools of probity.
He also announced enactment of a Single Window Clearance Act to provide approvals to the stakeholders under one platform.
“A new Transfer Policy will also be put in place to provide security of tenure to Government employees. We will ensure that the Public Services Guarantee Act is further strengthened to address the concerns of poor and downtrodden,” he said.
Attacking the previous NC-Congress Government of delaying the holding of civic body elections, Sayeed said the Government will hold the polls so that funds are accessed from the Centre in schemes sponsored by it. He also assured that Panchayats would be empowered and elections held to the Block Development Councils.
Sayeed said that his Government has flagged the issue of providing an arterial road network that connects the road corridors from Kathua to Kargil.
Stating that he would fast-track establishment of AIIMS, IIT and IIM projects in the State, he said, “These are our institutions. No distinction should be made on the basis of region. This infrastructure is coming up in our State which belongs to us.”
He also said that the Union Government has agreed to make Mughal Road an alternative to the National Highway.
Describing tourism as the backbone of the State’s economy, he said the industry will be rebooted by taking series of measures. The process of developing Jammu as an independent tourist destination has already begun.
“My Government will focus on projecting the potential of the State in high-end tourism by offering weekend, golf and resort packages to high-spending visitors from the West and southeast Asia,” he said.
An alluring package for domestic tourists shall also be formulated to increase in their footfall. Patnitop, Jai-Bhaderwah, Baglihar Dam catchment area, Sanasar and Mantalai would also be promoted, the Chief Minister said.
Suchetgarh will be promoted as a mega border tourism site while as Mantalai will come up as an International Yoga Centre. Tourist destinations in Ladakh region like Nun Kun and Suru Valley shall also be promoted, he said.
“Leh tourism has to be promoted independently and its rich culture has to be brought on the heritage map of the country in a big way. I will take up with Centre the construction of Leh-Kailash-Mansarovar Road which will boost tourism in the region by improving road connectivity,” the Mufti said.
He said there would be no lowering of guard on the security front along the borders of the country.
“The Government will not lower guard on security front in protecting our borders,” he said. He commended the police, paramilitary forces and the Army for having done a commendable job in bringing peace to the State.
“The situation looks normal in Kashmir. The security forces, Army, Central security forces and police played a major role for that, but the biggest change has been brought by the people who safeguarded democracy,” Mufti Sayeed said.
Crediting the people of the State for giving a strong mandate in the Assembly elections held last year, he said it was a historic opportunity to change the fate of the State and people had realised that participation in the democratic process was the only option.
“Since 1947, how many problems we have faced. This mandate is a turning point, our history can change,” he said, adding that change will be felt at grassroots level.
Terming Jammu and Kashmir as “a garden of democracy”, he said people from outside carry an impression that the airport was like a jail.
“I will talk to the police DG so as to make our police receptive and friendly. Even in US, travellers have to go through a rigorous screening process at the airport,” Sayeed said.
Stressing on the need for making the police force professional, the Chief Minister said it will be made tourist-friendly, especially at Airports and other exit and entry points so that visitors to the state experience a “feel good factor”.
The police force will also be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies to ensure speedier crime detection, traffic management, investigations and busting of drug trafficking rackets.
Sayeed said he will work to strengthen the constituency of peace by laying edifice for strong police-public relations, institutions of probity, delegation of powers and a transparent transfer policy, which will set the tone of good governance for the next six years.
He said that the issue of doubling the stipend of Special Police Officers, who have worked relentlessly, from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 per month, has been taken up with the Union Home Ministry.
Mufti Sayeed accused previous National Conference-led Government of eroding the State’s autonomy by shifting overdraft facility from Jammu and Kashmir Bank to the Reserve Bank of India.
The National Conference, however, said that every bank in the country has to function under RBI and the issue had nothing to do with the institutional autonomy.
The Chief Minister said, “… The biggest setback to the autonomy was when the previous Government shifted the ways and means (concerning overdrafts) from Jammu and Kashmir Bank to the Reserve Bank of India.”
He said that earlier the State Government used to withdraw overdraft from the Jammu and Kashmir Bank to meet its financial needs and used to pay interest to the bank, which used to again reach the people of the State.
“We used to draw overdraft of Rs 2000 to 2500 crore from the Jammu and Kashmir Bank. It was like taking money from our own house. When the money used to come (from centre), we paid the interest and it again was given back to our own people,” he said.
He said that handing over the “ways and means” of the bank to RBI by the previous Government was a major setback to the institution of autonomy of the State.
While extending his government’s full support to J&K Bank, Mufti said that his Government would renegotiate the terms with the Government of India.
“We will try to renegotiate the terms with the Government of India, but from this House I want to say that we stand behind Jammu and Kashmir Bank, we completely support the bank,” Mufti Sayeed said.
He said that the businessman in the State who take loans from the bank return the same with interest, whereas when loans given to business establishments from outside the State, the same get defaulted.
“The money given to the local businessman comes back with interest, but when the same money is given to the outside businessman gets defaulted,” he said.
Later, the National Conference objected to the Mufti’s statement where he termed bringing of J&K Bank under the purview of RBI was the “biggest setback to the institutional autonomy”.
National Conference MLA and former Finance Minister Mohammad Shafi (Uri) said, “Every bank operating in the country has to function under RBI and this has nothing to do with the institutional autonomy.”
He said that the autonomy was something which was much bigger than the J&K Bank.
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