SRINAGAR, Sept 20: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Karra today criticised the union Territory’s current governance structure, saying the existing “dual control” arrangement is creating confusion and choas and until this dual control system is not fixed, there will be confusion and chaos here.
He, however, said he understands the hitches in the dual control system are being removed and that authorities are expected to announce changes soon.
“I have been saying since the start that the problem will persist till the system does not end. Till then there will be chaos and confusion. And what I understand is that the hitches in the dual control system are being removed and that authorities are expected to announce changes soon,” Karra told reporters in Srinagar.
The J&K Congress president stressed that until statehood is restored, the problems will continue because senior bureaucrats – IAS, IFS and IPS officers – remain directly under the Lieutenant Governor and are not fully accountable to the elected state apparatus.
“The accountability of these officers is negligible with the state government. As soon as statehood is restored, all their duties or accountability will come to the state government,” he said, adding that change would end the present confusion.
On the recent disruptions on Srinagar-Jammu highway, Karra dismissed claims that the damaged stretches of the national highway could be repaired within days, warning that restoration will take “months, not 3-4 days.”
“As far as the perception is concerned that it will be fine in 3-4 days, it’s not like that. The perception is also that it’s only 300 meters of damage, it’s not like that. It’s in kilometers. Of course, it’s in patches, but it’s not in meters, it’s in kilometers,” Karra said.
He stressed that fixing the highway completely would require significant time and resources. “If you want to fix it completely, it will take months,” he cautioned.
Karra also disagreed with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s assertion that the central government should hand over control of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway to the elected government if it was unable to reopen
“What Omar sahib said, I personally do not agree with him. He said that our engineers can fix it. I don’t think the state government has the infrastructure. The National Highway Authority and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have the men, machines and specialization for such roads. The State Government is not equipped to fix this,” the Congress leader remarked. (Agencies)
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