Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 18: Former Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohd Sayeed today said that delay being caused in the execution of Shahpur Kandi project is badly affecting the farming community in the State.
Addressing a public rally at Bishnah today, Mufti reminded that it was promised to give water to the farmers of J&K under inter-state bilateral agreement through Shahpur Kandi barrage project down stream of Ranjit Sagar dam. He however, regretted that promise was yet to be fulfilled and the bilateral agreement which would have changed the fate of the farmers of Jammu region was no where in sight.
The PDP leader pointed out that farmers from different states are taking benefit of Ranjit Sagar project but people of J&K who have high stake in the project and especially the farmers, have been denied genuine share. He said that proper implementation of bilateral agreement would change the fate of farmers of Jammu region.
Mufti said the J&K has huge natural resource in the form of water and it is on the top of party’s agenda to utilize this natural resource for the socio-economic growth of the people of this State. He asserted that people of J&K have first right on water which flows through this State and the party has been agitating for it since long.
While referring to the problems of farmers of the Jammu border belt, PDP stalwart emphasized the farmers to go for diversification of crops for improving their economic condition. He said in the present era of technology it is need of the hour to take benefit of the latest techniques to adopt new methods of farming by shifting to cash crops instead of sticking to the old traditional crops. He advised the farmers to go for floriculture, horticulture etc to improve their economic condition.
Mufti said Bishnah, RS Pura, Vijaypur and Samba area has the potential to produce sugarcane, so there is need to establish a sugar mill in this region. Setting up a sugar mill in the area will prove as boon for the farmers of this border belt, Mufti maintained.
Expressing concern over shrinking of agricultural land in the State, PDP leader said that there was need to bring a bill in the Legislature to ban on utilization of agriculture land for commercial purpose. He claimed that his party will bring the Bill in the House if NC led Government hesitates on the issue. He said Bishnah and R S Pura are considered as rice bowl of the State and high quality Basmati is produced here. Government has not formulated any comprehensive policy for marketing of Basmati. He claimed that PDP will launch agitation for the Basmati growers of this belt.
Dubbing National Conference led coalition regime as total failure, Mufti said decision to cancel Block Development Council elections at the eleventh hour was nothing but a cruel joke with the people who had voted in large number with a hope that a strong Panchayati Raj system would be established in the State. He said with the role of both the parties, it has come to light that both coalition partners are on the same page.
Other senior party leaders present in the Kissan rally included Tarlok Singh Bajwa, Th Balbir Singh, Ved Mahajan, Satpal Singh Charak, Hussain Ali Wafa, Surinder Choudhary, Ashok Jogi, Kuljeet Singh, Chatter Singh Saini and Sukhvinder Singh.
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