Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 25: Admitting that capping of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders would wreck the budgetary balance of the people particularly middle and lower class, the Congress as well as National Conference Ministers have decided to vociferously raise the issue in the next Cabinet meeting and try to evolve a policy to bail out people of this hilly and tough terrain State of the impending crisis.
Ever since the Union Government put a cap on the subsidized LPG cylinders per household in a year, majority of the delegations calling on the Cabinet as well as State Ministers have been conveying their resentment over this decision and making requests to the Congress and National Conference Ministers to take some State-level decision to bail them out of the imminent crisis particularly for the middle and lower sections of the society.
Feeling nerve of the people, several Congress as well as National Conference Ministers have decided to vociferously raise this issue in the Cabinet meeting to be held next week so that some policy is evolved to help the people.
“One of them-Raman Bhalla, Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation has even written a formal letter to the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, seeking his immediate intervention to provide some sort of succor to the people of Jammu and Kashmir”, sources told EXCELSIOR.
When contacted, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar said, “even yesterday a delegation, which called on me, sought State Government’s intervention to increase the number of subsidized LPG cylinders”, adding “it is really a matter of concern particularly in our State whose vast area remains cut off completely during winters”.
“Increasing cap of subsidized LPG cylinders requires a policy decision and will be taken by the Cabinet only”, he said, adding “soon after the Minister for CAPD, Qamar Ali Akhoon, returns from Kargil, the issue will be thoroughly discussed with him and then in the Cabinet for appropriate decision”.
“We will have to do something to provide relief to the people”, he said in response to a question.
Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Raman Bhalla, who also wrote a formal letter to the Chief Minister on this issue, said, “I have requested the Chief Minister to devise a framework to provide some sort of relief to the people”, adding “I will also raise this issue in the next Cabinet meeting as there is a dire need of revising the cap on the higher side on the analogy of Delhi Government”.
In response to a question, he said, “I personally feel that number of subsidized LPG cylinders should be increased to 9 and some extra relief for slum dwellers and other poorest sections of the society”.
Another Congress Minister, Sham Lal Sharma said, “the Congress has already taken a stand on this issue. Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz has already announced that he will raise the issue in the forthcoming meeting of the Coordination Committee so that a framework is worked out to provide relief to the people”.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir are likely to face more problems because of tough terrain and geographical conditions. We will take up the issue with the Chief Minister in the next Cabinet meeting”, the Minister for Health said.
National Conference Minister from Jammu, Surjit Singh Salathia has also decided to raise the issue in the Cabinet meeting and stress for evolving a strategy as early as possible to provide at least 10 LPG cylinders to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on subsidized rate. “We too want to provide some sort of relief to our people on the pattern of some States of the country including Delhi”, he added.
“If the Congress as well as National Conference ministers seriously raise the issue in the Cabinet, there is every likelihood of State Government evolving a strategy to ensure that capping of LPG cylinders don’t wreck budgetary balance of the people particularly of middle and lower sections of the society”, political observers said.
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