Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 2: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) today expressed concern over the unscheduled and hours long electricity outages in Kashmir valley, saying the bureaucratic J&K Government has failed to ensure basic civic amenities to the people.
Party general secretary, Ali Mohammad Sagar, while interacting with a number of delegations from Anantnag, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Budgam, and Pulwama that had called on him said that the Government machinery is busy in fanfare and running PR spectacles whilst people continue to suffer for want of basic civic amenities.
“Not to talk about the widespread unemployment and poverty that has beset Kashmir, the J&K’s bureaucratic Government has turned blind eye to day to day issues concerning the people. The administration has confined itself to photo-ops and PR spectacles, whereas people continue to suffer on one account or another. Regular and long power outages have become the order of the day at the very onset of Autumn,” he said adding, “People are hankering for water in urban areas not to talk about the situation in rural areas; the situation there can be gauged from the pesky supply of basic facilities in urban areas. If this is the situation in Autumn one could easily guess what is in store for us in the coming Winter months. The inconsistent power supply has particular hit the elderly and students the most. Sadly the incumbent administration has turned a volte face to the issues concerning people”, he added.
The visiting delegations apprised the party general secretary about the erratic power supply in their areas saying the situation is turning grave with each passing day. The visiting delegations from Srinagar said that the unscheduled power outages dampened the festive occasions, particularly during Milad-un-Nabi observance. They maintained that their localities were under the spell of darkness even on the auspicious occasion.
Sagar further added that the administration is yet to stock the necessary grains, kerosene oil, LPG and other essentials in the far flung areas. During the previous winters, he said the administration miserably failed to rise up to the exigencies of Winter. He said the ensuing Winter months; keeping in view the paucity of all basic amenities would be no different than the previous ones.