Pawan Gupta suggests vertical integration of industries for employment generation
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Mar 15: Cutting across party lines, most of the MLAs in the Legislative Assembly, in one voice, criticized the practice of illegal mining and the allotment of lands and industrial units to outsiders, with some even threatening to lodge protests against their own Government if the same continues unabated.
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Speaking on the grants of PWD (R&B), Industries and Commerce, Geology and Mining, Labour & Employment and Skill Development Departments, the legislators expressed concern over the looming threats of natural disasters due to the lack of proper environmental assessment of sites alloted for industrial and mining related uses.
They also demanded that the drain of wealth and brain from the UT to outside States or countries be prevented by providing proper incentives and skills to the local industries and workforce.
The MLAs also wished that the quality of roads and other infrastructure-related projects be assessed at regular intervals and accountability be fixed on the contractors to maintain the infrastructural units executed by them.
Speaking on the grants of the R&B Department, MLA Gurez, Nazir Ahmed Khan (Gurezi), questioned how a contractor who offers the lowest bid is given the contract, as it is not possible for him to maintain the roads or other infrastructural units with the limited cost offered by him.
Gurezi also demanded that for small projects, local contractors be given priority over outsiders.
He also demanded that the lapsing of funds from hard-zone areas, where projects are taken up only during a period of 3-4 months, be stopped, as it is not possible to complete them in time due to environmental concerns.
BJP MLA from Udhampur West Assembly segment, Pawan Gupta, questioned the rationale behind allocating departmental grants to the Principal Secretary or the Commissioner Secretary of the R&B department rather than the Chief Engineers concerned, as according to him, only they know under what heads the amount would be spent.
“This is against the budgetary practices to grant the money to the Principal Secretary or the Commissioner Secretary,” Gupta said.
He also questioned the allocation of funds under certain vague heads like “Non-Functional Buildings,” claiming, “What is the purpose of allocating funds to those buildings which are not functional?”
Gupta said that similar other vague heads mentioned in the R&B Department grants are beyond one’s understanding.
He also laid focus on the quality of PWD and allied sector works with priority on the bidding capacity of the contractors allotted the Government works.
“Performance of the contractors to assess the risks and costs is a must before allotting any works, as most contractors in the UT lack the mandatory infrastructure and staff to execute the projects,” suggested Gupta.
He claimed that most road projects are being executed in the UT without getting the CBR and soil tests conducted, thus maximizing the risks.
Besides, Gupta claimed that most contractors in J&K don’t have their own labs to assess the quality of the material they use in the construction of the road and other projects.
Gupta said that the UT Government has failed to stop the brain drain, as over 1 lakh youth from the IT sector in Jammu and 10,000 from Udhampur district in particular have not been provided infrastructure like IT parks.
During the Mufti Sayeed Government, he said, land for an IT park was identified near Nagrota but has not been put to use so far.
He also questioned the intent of the Government for stopping the brain drain, asking, “I want to know whether you have approached Wipro, TCS, or the Tatas to provide the necessary skills or the training to the educated youth of the region?”
Besides preventing brain drain, Gupta suggested that to prevent the drainage of wealth from the UT to other states and countries, the Government should incentivize the cluster-based industries so that the raw products made in one particular area are processed and polished in that area itself.
“This will help in preventing the drainage of wealth and address the challenge of unemployment,” he suggested.
He particularly suggested processing the ores of Gypsum, Bauxite, Magnesite, and polishing and processing the sapphire from the Doda-Kishtwar region.
He also suggested growing some exotic varieties of mushrooms in the Udhampur district as, according to him, the climate of the district suits the growth of these mushrooms like Solan Valley in Himachal, which has become the mushroom capital of the country.
On the practice of illegal mining, Gupta cited a Supreme Court judgment that mandated checking the replenishment of the allocated mining sites after every 9 months.
He, however, said, “Nothing of sort is happening on the ground, as the miners are digging deep into the soil, endangering both the water bodies and the lands. This should be stopped.”
Mian Mehar Ali, MLA Kangan, raised the issues of non-payment of compensation for the acquired lands for road projects and delays in forest clearances for taking up road projects in his constituency.
Surjeet Singh Slathia, MLA Samba, demanded that the youth be upskilled in accordance with emerging market trends.
He also claimed that the PSUs in the UT have been facing severe crises, and efforts should be made to revive them, as they can provide employment to the youth.
According to Slathia, there are 468 functional PSUs in Samba and 106 non-functional ones. Similarly, in Bari Brahamana, he said, of the total 544 PSUs, 478 are functional and the remaining 66 are non-functional.
In Kathua district, of the total 27,000 PSUs, 17,000 are functional and 10,000 are non-functional.
He also claimed that Rs 50 crore sanctioned for promoting industrial start-ups in the UT is inadequate.
He sought incentives for the PSUs and other sick industrial units, particularly the cement and iron bars manufacturers of the UT, besides discouraging the entry of these materials into the UT from Punjab.
He also demanded that the pending payments to the contractors be released immediately.
Slathia further sought a proper policy on mining to avoid losses to the climate and water bodies.
He concluded his speech by praising the Modi Government for bringing massive development on the ground.
MLA Dooru and CLP leader GA Mir also raised concerns over the outsiders indulging in illegal mining practices in the UT, claiming this has resulted in a manifold increase in the mineral cost for the locals and the loss of mineral wealth to outside the UT.
NC MLA Ali Mohammad Dar sought the expedition of the construction work of a bridge over the River Jhelum and the fixing of minimum wages at Rs 500 per day.
MLA Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir from Rajpora also expressed concern over the mushrooming of the mining mafia in the UT in recent years and demanded a check on their growth, as according to him, the unabated mining has endangered several water bodies in his constituency.
BJP MLA Darshan Thakur sought incentives for Pashmina artists, the re-shifting of Mahanpur Sub Division, increased wages for the local youth in different projects and companies, and doctors in Basohli hospital.
CPI(M) MLA MY Tarigami sought social security, proper wages, and pensions for the labor class and demanded the constitution of the Labour Board.
He also raised concerns over lands and mining sites being allocated to outsiders.
Congress MLA Nizzamuddin Bhat said that the resource departments in the UT still rely on borrowings, grants-in-aids, and central packages to run the affairs.
He said that rather than discussing employment generation, it was unfortunate that the debates revolve around the mining mafia, plundering of UT wealth, and the loot of state resources.
PDP MLA Mir Mohammad Fayaz expressed concern over the lack of roads, hospitals, and other infrastructure projects in his constituency, as he claimed that only Srinagar was prioritized by the Governments.
NC MLA Showkat Ahmad Ganie claimed that most Government departments in the UT don’t have testing labs for checking the quality of soil and construction material used in developmental projects.
Independent MLA Muzaffar Khan asked why roads get damaged in rural areas even before they are completely constructed. He said that the PMSGY roads, which get damaged, are never repaired by the contractors despite agreeing to do so while taking up the projects.
Chander Prakash Ganga raised the issues of encroachment on 505 kanals of land acquired for the industrial estate in Bari Brahamana.
He also sought priority for local youth in the allocation of lands and setting up of industrial units, besides laying focus on the revival of sick and closed units.
NC MLA Saifuddin Bhat threatened to launch a protest against his own Government if the practice of allotting mining sites and industrial units to outsiders is not stopped.
MLA Doda West Shakti Raj Parihar praised Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for reducing the travel distance between Jammu and Srinagar by four-laning the road and highlighted the concern of not completing several road projects in his constituency.
PDP MLA Waheed Parra claimed that investment in the industrial sector has nearly come down by 50%. He also blamed the Government for not conducting environmental assessments before the allotment of the lands.
BJP MLA from Bahu Assembly segment, Choudhary Vikram Randhawa, claimed the mining sector has become a golden-egg laying hen for the UT.
He said only small trolley-owners and the pony wallas are being targeted both by the police and the department, leaving the influential untouched.
Dr. Rameshwar Singh, MLA Bani, raised the issue of the allotment of 75 kanals of wildlife land to an influential outsider for constructing a hotel, non-payment of compensation to landowners, and other issues.
Minister Javaid Rana, however, assured that no one is allowed to construct a hotel on Wildlife land, claiming, “If anything of sort has occurred, we will take action against those responsible.”
MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone suggested that unnecessary roads shouldn’t be constructed.
MLA Ramban, Arjun Singh Raju, demanded the expeditious establishment of the industrial estate in his constituency and steps to process the crops of potato, pomegranate, and honey.
NC MLA Javaid Iqbal raised the issue of two blocks of his constituency being at the bottom of the HDI. He also claimed that illegal mining, facilitated by the police, is letting the drainage of UT wealth to the outside.
MLA Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Baldev Raj Sharma, raised the issue of rehabilitation of mule owners during the discussion on the grants.
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