Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 29: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today criticised the ongoing demolition drive in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the elected Government’s inaction has left several families homeless at a time when temperatures across the region have dropped below freezing.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee, PDP Chief spokesperson Mehboob Beg, said evicting residents during harsh winter conditions is not a policy decision but a “crisis of humanity.”
“People’s houses are being demolished in freezing temperatures. They are being made homeless,” Beg said, calling the drive unjustifiable under any administrative or legal measure.
The spokesperson urged the authorities to halt the demolitions immediately and ensure that no individual or family is deprived of shelter during winter. He said the Union Territory must adopt a compassionate and humanitarian approach rather than resorting to “punitive action” in extreme weather.
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Beg also accused the elected Government of encouraging the demolitions and failing to protect vulnerable citizens. He claimed that when the PDP introduced a land protection bill earlier, the party was accused of bringing it in support of “land grabbers,” which he said sent a signal to the bureaucracy to act against ordinary people.
“This is the first time in the history of Kashmir that people are being made homeless in freezing temperatures, economically and politically,” he said.
The PDP leader said recent shocks including the Pahalgam attack, the decline in tourism, and losses in horticulture, had already crippled Kashmir’s economy, and the demolition drive has deepened the distress. He added that Kashmiri traders and workers outside the region were affected by recent tensions in Delhi, further worsening livelihoods.
Criticising the administration, Beg said the elected Government is “hiding behind the Centre” and acting like the opposition instead of using its mandate to protect the public. “If the Chief Minister does not have the power to stop people from becoming homeless in freezing temperatures, then why are they in power?” he asked.
He said they will continue to raise the issue, insisting that the Government must be held accountable for ensuring that no resident in Jammu and Kashmir is rendered homeless during winter.
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