Jammu: Legislators Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today disrupted both houses to demand more new administrative units in the areas which have been neglected in the recently announced new administrative units.According to a statement issued to KNS, as the House assembled this morning for proceeding, PDP legislators under the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti resorted to shouting slogans against discriminatory distribution of administrative units. They alleged that many deserving areas have been ignored in allotting new administrative units.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Ms Mehbooba Mufti said that during PDP-Congress a Committee headed by S S Beloria was constituted to identify deserving areas for the allotment of new administrative. “As recommendations of that Committee were incomplete, another Committee headed by Mushtaq Ahmed Ganai was constituted”, she pointed out and recalled that Mushtaq Ahmed Ganai Committee had submitted its report in the year 2011 but that report was never tabled in the House for discussion. “A number of times assurances were given that report would be tabled in the House but no action was taken. Instead of tabling the Ganai Report for the last 3 years, the Government abruptly made announcements in a hurried manner”, she observed and a number of deserving areas were ignored by this Committee.
Today people in every nook and corner of the State have been agitating as they feel discriminated, many deserving areas being left out, she said and narrated a number of examples where deserving areas were ignored. “At the fag-end of its tenure this regime has created chaos in the state by pitching one area against the other”, she said.
PDP president handed over a list of areas, which deserve administrative units, to the Speaker and pressed for granting the status of Sub Division, CD Blocks, Tehsils and Niabats to the deserving areas. She demanded a time frame assurance from the Government but there was no response from Treasury benches. As Government failed to give any assurance on the list provided to the Speaker, PDP legislators again resorted to shouting slogans.
Following direction of the Speaker to forcibly take PDP legislators out of the House, party MLA from Tral, Mustaq Ahmed Shah received severe injuries when he was dragged by the watch and ward staff of the Assembly.
PDP members also vociferously take up this issue in the Legislative Council also. Party members staged a walkout from the Upper House as mark of protest as govt has not adopted a uniform approach while announcing administrative units.
Later talking to the media persons outside the Assembly, Ms Mehbooba Mufti regretted that entire opposition was protesting in the House and people all over the State were agitating but Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was busy on tweeting. “This is contempt of the House. Instead of facing the House, the Chief Minister is tweeting on this crucial issue”, she said.
Ms Mufti said that braving severe cold, people all over the State have protesting against discrimination in distribution of administrative units but government has failed to give any assurance on this issue. She said that in Legislative Assembly PDP has submitted a list to the Speaker while as in Legislative Council list has been submitted to the Chairman.
Joining the issue with Chief Minister, she said that if Chief Minister thinks that by announcing 759 administrative units alongwith 2000 Patwar halqas with issuance of Cabinet decision, he can hide mis-deeds and mis-governance of his five and half year tenure he should announce 700 more administrative units to get more political mileage. She pointed out that Ganai Committee had recommended 222 administrative units so what is wrong if 700 or more units would be announced to give so that people agitating since the announcement of New Administrative Units, would give them an honourable way-out.
She said that Omar Abdullah government has miserable failed to fulfil its promises so the government has brazenly been indulged into such deceitful tactics to befool the people. “In its five and half year tenure this government has nothing to show so this regime has been trying to divert attention of people towards its failure by politicizing the issue of administrative units”, she maintained and asserted that PDP would continue their struggle to get justice for the deserving areas. (KNS)