Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, June 24: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today said that peace and governance have taken a big hit under BJP Government.
“While the present insensitive dispensation has plunged J&K into unprecedented crisis, the development has come to a grinding halt and governance at the lowest ebb,” Bhalla said while interacting with people at Swankhan Morh during his day-long tour to Vijaypur Assembly Constituency.
He expressed resentment over lack of development in Vijaypur for the last six years despite the fact that Vijaypur constituency has the biggest industrial area and is only 10 km from Jammu while as it also shares boundaries with Gandhi Nagar, Bishnah and Samba assembly constituencies.
Locals complained of lack of development, unemployment among educated youth, dilapidated infrastructure, including power, water supply and condition of roads. Another issue raised was the demand of 5-marla land to border residents at safer places as they frequently had to bear the brunt of cross-border firing.
Bhalla also met people of IB who have taken shelter in refugee camps. These local allottees and refugees also highlighted problems being faced by them in their area and the unemployment among the youth. “The Government should send a delegation on ground zero to take assessment and meet the families so that proper report is filed on the condition of their lives, standard of education and health issues,” Bhalla said.
“There is a need to give reservation to the residents of international border so that their children can also compete in education and get Government jobs. These children suffer when Pakistan opens fire across the border and target their houses. These people have to flee for weeks abandoning their houses for safety. Hence, their education also suffers more,” he said.
The lack of political direction has terribly impacted the administration that is seen wanting in every sector, Bhalla said. In this context, he referred to the administrative breakdown, developmental paralysis and poor condition of utility services which have led to acute drinking water scarcity and frequent load shedding in most parts of Jammu.
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