‘Azad’s charges baseless’
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 16 : Making a scathing attack on Congress, Union Minister in PMO with Independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh today accused the party of deliberately neglecting Bhaderwah during its six decades rule at the Centre and in the State.
Click here to watch video
Addressing a gathering after the inauguration and laying foundation stone of a series of Centrally funded road, bridges and building projects in Bhaderwah tehsil of Doda district today, Dr Singh outrightly rejected the charges of Congress leader and former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad that there is a slow pace of development in Doda district as well as Union Territory of J&K. He while turning tables on Congress alleged that Bhaderwah was deliberately neglected by its own Congress leaders.
Hitting out at Ghulam Nabi Azad for misleading public by his baseless statements, Dr Jitendra Singh said every thing is visible on ground. He said unlike past, no part of the erstwhile J&K State was discriminated by Modi Government as has been a complaint earlier by the people from different regions. “We believed in Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas the Mantra of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi”, he added.
He said it is an irony that several prominent Congress leaders, who hailed from Bhaderwah and erstwhile Doda district and remained Union Minister and even Chief Minister for decades together, are now shedding crocodile tears over the alleged lack of development here. He accused them of deliberately keeping the region and its people backward so that they could continue as their unchallenged leaders.
Dr Singh said, the development that has been witnessed in this region during the last over five years is evident on the ground and is much more than what was witnessed in over six decades before that when Congress ruled at Centre and was also in alliance with NC and other parties in the erstwhile J&K State.
It was during the last five years, said Dr Singh, that the first ever National Institute of High Altitude Medicinal Plants was approved for Bhaderwah for which the foundation stone has been laid and the work is funded by the Central Government. Similarly, he said, it was during the last five years that Centrally funded Government Medical College was approved for Doda and Centrally funded AYUSH Hospital for Kishtwar. Why this could not have happened earlier, he asked, although this was the native place of Congress leader who remained Union Health Minister in Government of India for years together?
It is a shame, that Gandoh, which claims to be the native place of some of the prominent national level Congress leaders, got its first Post Office in 2017 after seven decades of independence. The State Bank of India also opened its first branch at this place only two years back, he added.
Dr Jitendra said, it is during the last five years that Degree Colleges have been sanctioned for remote and far flung areas like Marmat, Bhela, Bhalla, Kastigarh, Paddar, Marwah etc, first-ever Women Degree College at Doda, Kendriya Vidyalayas at Bhaderwah, Jodhpur etc and asked why this could not have happened earlier, even though the Chief Minister hailed from this region? Was it a deliberate attempt, he asked, to keep this region backward and the youth uneducated so that they could not pose a challenge to the Congress leaders who wished to continue their dominance for decades together without allowing the growth of the younger generation?
Enumerating a series of other works undertaken during the last five years, Dr Jitendra Singh referred to the new National Highway sanctioned from Lakhanpur to Basohli to Bani to Bhaderwah and Pul Doda via Chattergalla tunnel and informed that the survey for the historic Chattergalla tunnel has been completed by the BEACONS under the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). He referred to the Centrally Funded Tunnel at Kaljugar which will directly connect Bhaderwah with Chamba in Himachal Pradesh and the another Centrally Funded Highway from Khellani to Goha – Marmat to Sudh Mahadev.
He also referred to Centrally Funded Degree College under Rashtriya Uchchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) at Kishtwar and Kendriya Vidyalaya at Bhaderwah and added that in the last five years, it has been possible to achieve what had not been achieved by the Congress Ministers and the Chief Minister hailing from this region.
Later, Dr Jitendra Singh also joined the BJP workers in a Pad-Yatra being organised at national level as part of “Gandhi Sankalp Yatra”.
Earlier, Dr Singh inaugurated various vital projects during his one day visit to Bhaderwah tehsil.
The projects included those completed by PWD, PMGSY under CRF, NABARD, RMSA during the current financial year.
District Development Commissioner, Dr Sagar D Doifode and other officers of district administration Doda accompanied the Minister.
The projects which were inaugurated by the Dr Jitendra Singh included improvement and upgradation of 8km Bhaderwah to Chamba road, steel girder motorable bridge over Koti nallah, upgraded Dangrota to Ganika road, upgraded road Chilli Morh to Bhupa bridge,100 bedded girls hostel at City Middle School Doda, Gandoh Jai Road phase 2nd, construction and maintenance of Drudu to Gutasa road. He also laid foundation stone for construction of motorable bridge on link road from Kursari to KV school, improvement and upgradation of Pull Doda to Beoli road via Doda town.
The DDC Doda informed the Union Minister that various important projects will be soon started in the district with the support of Central Government like Government Degree College Marmat, Women’s Government Degree College for Doda, Government Degree College for Bhalla and Professional College at Bhela, All India Institute of High Altitude Medicinal Plants at Bhaderwah and KV Bhaderwah.
The DDC said the land proposals for these projects have already been sent to the higher authorities, besides he informed that Government Degree College Kastigarh has started function this academic year.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
