Jammu, Aug 02 (KNO): Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday said that the order vis-à-vis denying passports and jobs to those involved in stone pelting and other unlawful activities, was not new but a recreation of past circulars.
“The recent circular is not new, even earlier those involved in stone pelting or any other anti-national activity have to get all clearance before getting jobs. They are not taken at par with the other candidates. They have to go through verifications,” he said, adding that “It’s not new order but recreation of earlier circulars.”
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), on the administration's decision of banning the ‘Durbar Move, Azad said that the decision is wrong and suicidal for the economy of Jammu and it should continue like the past.
“Durbar Move is a years old process started during Dogra rule in Jammu and Kashmir. It is very critically important for the economy of Jammu. Jammu will be ruined if the ‘Durbar Move’ is stopped,” the former chief minister said, adding that “Economy of Jammu will badly suffer due to the closure of the Durbar move. Business of big corporate and even tea sellers, taxi drivers will be suffering in absence of guests from Kashmir”.
He said not only traders but people who are giving their houses on rent in winter to people from Kashmir, the grocery shopkeepers in mohallas will also suffer.
Azad was addressing a press conference on the conclusion of his three-day Jammu visit. During three days, Azad met over 150 delegations from 37 assembly constituencies of ten districts of Jammu division in Jammu.
Opposing the decision to build a heritage hotel in Mubarak Mandi, he said that the central government should release two to four hundred crores for the protection of Mubarak Mandi.
He further added that Jammu doesn't have any tourist attraction and if developed Mubarak Mandi can become the main tourist destination of Jammu.
The Congress leader further added that “during our time, we had started the work of conservation of Mubarak Mandi by releasing forty crores.”
Referring to the artificial lake in the Tawi river, he said that “we wanted to build a lake from Siddha to Gujjar Nagar, but our government's ally PDP had the concerned department at that time which did not agree. Then we built golf courses there.”
“Later, when the department came to us during the National Conference Congress government under the leadership of Omar Abdullah, the work of an artificial lake was started. The conservation of the lake and Mubarak Mandi will boost tourism in Jammu,” he said.
Azad also demanded Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. “Bureaucracy is for indoor work. We demand a conclusion and wind up of this and provide statehood. And after giving statehood, legislative assembly elections should be conducted. We also want Kashmiri pandit all around the world to come back to us,” the Congress leader said.
He said that the situation in J&K is not ideal as in a democracy there should be elected representatives.
“From last four years, there is no elected representative in Jammu and Kashmir which pushed it back in many fields,” Azad said—(KNO)