Yogesh Sagotra
Jammu, Aug 2: Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday said that the decision of Jammu and Kashmir administration to stop the ‘Durbar Move’ process is wrong and suicidal for the economy of Jammu and it should continue like in 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,” former chief minister said, adding, “Economy of Jammu will suffer badly 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 rent their houses 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 days Jammu visit. During three days Ghulam Nabi 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.
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 pandits 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 has been no elected representative in Jammu and Kashmir which pushed it back in many fields,” Azad said.
The Indian National Congress said that the party will have to work hard in the 2024 general elections but he was confident that the grand old party will be re-elected in Punjab.
Azad also believed that no front was being formed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also commented on Pegasus ‘snoopgate row.
He said that he is not bothered by the Pegasus ‘snoopgate’ row and also urged the Opposition to move on considering the government’s silence as a signal of the Israeli software usage.
