GNS Bandipore :People's Democratic Party (PDP)president Mehbooba Mufti has said while corruption graph was rising to unprecedented levels in the state the government response to it was becoming more and more farcical. Addressing party workers of Bandipore district here today she said nobody would be impressed by the coalition government's witch hunt among the low grade employees to find scapegoats for its massive frauds and failures. She was referring to government announcement of premature retirement of 13 middle rung and low paid employees yesterday in the name of cleansing the administration.
Party General Secretary Mohammed Dilawar Mir, District President Yasir Reshi, Zonal presidents Imtiyaz Hameed Reshi and Ab Majid Rahi, party leaders Adv Ab Majid Mir, Shiekh Qawamudin Shilwati and Ab Rashid Singh were also present and addressed the workers on this occasion.
Mehbooba said corruption in high places could not be controlled by removal of teachers, linemen and technicians. "There is no doubt that corruption has eaten into the vitals of our society and it is hurting the common man at every level. Whether it is about getting a document from revenue department, a ration card, a residence certificate, an identity card, a driving licence or a big contract, nothing happens without greasing the palm of the concerned in most cases, but all this is promoted by the top guns who receive share of the booty." She said if the entire political leadership that heads the administration is suspected of corruption and malpractice, going after the small fish will only feed cynicism and evoke derision.
The PDP president said it looked ironically cruel that a teacher should be removed from service in the name of toning up administration at a time when education minister's involvement in the exam scam has been established beyond doubt and the system based on political expediency not able to do anything. Similarly, she said power sector has been the worst victim of corruption, malpractices and misgovernance in the last three years. Although chief minister who also holds the charge of power portfolio needed to explain the downswing in a sector that had been put on rails by the previous coalition but instead a lineman, the lowest rung official in the department, has been called to account and made to pay with his job, she said. While serious allegations have been made against the PHE minister even by his own party-men, government crackdown is confined to junior engineers who also are apparently taking the brunt of allegations against the rural development minister. "Accountability, clearly can't get more farcical than that" Mehbooba quipped.
Mehbooba said although the state had been given most effective institutions in the shape of State Accountability Commision ( SAC) and Right to Information Act ( RTI) but the present coalition has made then deliberately ineffective. "They took more than two years to make appointments to them and now instead of utilising their services in deciding cases against the corrupt the government is creating all kinds of hurdles in their functioning", she said.
Mehbooba said the depleting levels of moral and political authority among the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues had led the state to total paralysis of administration. She said not only in Kashmir valley but even in Chenab and other hilly regions of Jammu division also there was acute shortage of supplies. Government ration depots are empty and cooking gas is just not available even in the black market she said. She said government writ ran only on paper and it's activities we're restricted to official propaganda, handouts and photo ops.
Mehbooba said the PDP cadre would continue to raise public issues and create awareness of people about their rights that had been trampled by the NC and it's partners in power for decades. She said this party had kept people bogged down with issues of survival for decades and had been a roadblock in real progress. "Otherwise with our resources and hard-work the state could have been the most developed region of south Asia but now we are lagging behind all" she said.
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