Harsh demands revocations of new laws on construction of rural houses

Harsh Dev Singh addressing a public meeting in Udhampur West Constituency.
Harsh Dev Singh addressing a public meeting in Udhampur West Constituency.

Excelsior Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Feb 12: Alleging deprivation of remote villages of district Udhampur in the matter of development and provision of civic amenities, Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and former minister today castigated the Government for complete neglect of Pancheri-Lander-Bhomag belt with people clamouring for even the basic necessities.
“Dilapidated condition of roads, chronic power and water supply problems, scarcity of ration and poor healthcare system are the major problems of the area which have failed to get the desired attention of authorities,” he said, while addressing public meetings in Karcha, Lander, Pancheri, Mir, Kutyar, Kainthgali villages during his two day tour of the Udhampur West constituency.
Harsh Dev accused the Govt of harassing and exploiting the rural folk by imposing draconian laws on them. He said that the Government had not only created complications for the village folk in the construction of residential houses, shops etc but had further created new and additional channels of corruption. He said that it was a bizarre proposition to make permission from Revenue and Rural Deptt mandatory before construction of houses by people on their own land and with their own money.
“Moreover it is not an easy task for poor, non-influential farmers to obtain permission from so many offices with not so unenviable reputation. The construction of shops in rural areas under the new laws is almost impossible in view of the involvement of SDM, Tehsildar, BDO, Town Planner, Sarpanch and others in the prescribed process,” he said and describing the new law as an obnoxious piece of superimposed legislation, demanded its immediate roll back.
Harsh Dev Singh called upon the Wildlife Department to depute its staff in Lander Pancheri area to provide safeguards to the people in the belt where several people and livestock have been killed in fatal attacks by Leopards and Wolves. He also sought immediate provision of X-Ray machine and ultrasound facility in PHC Pancheri. He sought a probe into the irregularities committed in PMAY scheme in view of multifarious complaints pouring in from various villages of the area.