Apni Party for political reservation to nomads
Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Apr 10: Apni Party president Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari has expressed concern over underdevelopment and poor basic amenities in Samba district while questioning the claims of development in Jammu region.
Addressing large gathering of SC/ ST category at Sarore today, Bukhari said that there is no development in Jammu nor in Kashmir. The condition of roads is worse, the people are suffering because of unscheduled power cuts amid soaring temperature and clean drinking water supply in many parts of Samba district is still not provided.
Bukhari said that the claims being made by some people that development is taking place in Jammu is misleading to create further division between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir and such claims need to be exposed for the unity and development of the erstwhile State.
“Apni Party will expose those who create division with factually incorrect claims and mislead people of one region against the other. The Apni Party will not tolerate further division of J&K and it has resolved to fight for the unity of both the region and brotherhood,” he added.
He questioned the administration for its failure to provide basic amenities in Schedule Tribe and Schedule Caste communities and neglecting development of their residential colonies.
“The electricity, water and road connectivity should be provided to the neglected class of the society without bias. It would be an injustice with the Schedule Tribes if their developmental, educational, health, seasonal migration, and forest right issues are not addressed,” he added.
Referring to the forest rights committees and claims, the Apni Party leader said that the Govt should include elected members from tribal community in Forest Right Committees to ensure justice with the nomads and without their participation in these committees the purpose of Forest Rights Act will fail to yield any result.
He also said that during the seasonal migration to the upper reaches from the plains of Jammu, the nomads should not be harassed on the name of permission.
Senior leader Ghulam Hassan Mir said that “The nomads were deprived of their rights on land even before the abrogation of Art 370 in J&K. The previous Govts exploited them as vote banks to remain in power and the condition of nomads became worse when it came to their rights on the land they held for decades and centuries.”
Mir said that after the abrogation of special status from J&K, there was a sense of insecurity among the nomads who were worried about land rights. “It was the Apni Party which took up the issue with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and got the Forests Right Act implemented in J&K,” said Mir.
Senior leader Aijaz Ahmed Khan, Ch Zulfikar Ali, S Manjit Singh also spoke on the occasion.
Earlier, District president, Samba, Raman Thappa highlighted developmental issues of Samba district and the unemployment among the youth. The Schedule Tribe leader Saleem Choudhary also raised many issues being faced by the tribal community.
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