Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Jan 18: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today held state-wide demonstrations against the NC-led Coalition Government for its failure to address people’s problems.
Apart from the two capital cities, Srinagar and Jammu, strong demonstrations were also held at all the district headquarters and major towns to press for reddressal of pressing problems faced by people.
In view of near total collapse of power distribution system in these freezing winter months in Kashmir valley, the focus of demonstrations remained on electricity, while workers also highlighted scarcity of ration, kerosene oil, LPG and drinking water.
In Jammu province, the Government was on receiving end of the demonstrations for rampant corruption, unemployment among the youth and mis-governance. The speakers castigated the Government for pushing the entire State into darkness forcing the people to switch over to the ancient means of lighting. Even the authorities have failed to stick to the atrocious power schedule, announced for the winters, but the tariff has been increased manifold, over the last five years. In many cases, they pointed out, bills have been inflated beyond reasonable limits with the result people are unable to pay the tariff.
The power supply system is frequently broken down and transformers get damaged at many places. The speakers pointed out that the Government had with much fanfare announced the establishment of transformer banks, which, in fact, proved to be another hollow promise by it. Even now, people are forced to collect money to get the damaged transformers repaired.
Adding to the people’s woes, the speakers said, so many areas are still awaiting clearance of snow.
They said there is serious shortage of rice, flour at the Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets and there have been many instances where ration under the PDS is going to black market. Even, nothing came out, so for, about the 10,000 quintal rice which went missing from an Awantipur godown few months back.
The PDP leaders accused the Government of institutionalizing the corruption in the State and making the institutions of probity systematically dysfunctional. They said there have been brazen cases of corruption over the last five years, which have made the State poorer and the Ministers richer. They said there have been many serious charges of corruption against some sitting Ministers but they are being protected by the Chief Minister. The governance system was anti-people in its approach. The recruitment and selection processes have been subverted and there is no transparency and accountability in the system.
In Srinagar, the protest march started from the PDP headquarters which passed through the Residency Road and later culminated at the historic Lal Chowk. The march was led by the senior PDP leader and the party’s candidate for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency, Tariq Hameed Karra and Mohammad Ashraf Mir, MLC and district president and Molvi Imran Ansari.
In Jammu, the protest was led by the senior party leaders, Tarlok Singh Bajwa, Ved Mahajan, Rashid Malik, Hussain Ali Wafa, R K Bali, Suram Singh Chib, Bushan Lal Dogra, Rajinder Manhas, Vikram Singh and others. A large number of workers from various blocks of Jammu district assembled at party office and then started their protest march in Gandhi Nagar area. They were shouting slogans against Omar Government.
As the protesters were moving towards National Highway, Gandhi Nagar a strong continent of police intercepted them. They were stopped by police and the cops wanted to restrict their movement. As the agitating workers showed some resistance, the police resorted to cane-charge and also used water cannons to disperse them. Over 200 workers were said to be detained by police and taken to DPL and Gandhi Nagar Police Station. They were later released. Several leaders along with two hundred workers were, later detained and lodged in Police Lines, Jammu.
Similar protests were also held at Rajouri, Poonch, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipora, Shopian, Ganderbal and Kulgam.
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