Dineshwar meets delegations in Kathua
JAMMU: The central government's special representative for Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma arrived in Jammu on a two-day visit to the region on Wednesday.
Sharma, the former Intelligence Bureau chief, after reaching Jammu straightway headed to Kathua and met as many as 15 delegations drawn from various political and social organisations.
The delegations from the Congress, BJP, National Conference, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), BSP, Kathua Bar Association, Ex-servicemen of the district, among others met the former IB chief in the PWD Guest House here.
The delegations submitted memorandums to Sharma listing demands and seeking redressal of the problems of the district .
A National Conference delegation led by Shakil Ahmed stressed for the dissolution of the state assembly, paving the way for fresh elections in the state. “Only the elected government is the legitimate representative of the masses, as it can restore the normalcy in the state and solve the problem of the people,” said Ahmed.
The Congress delegation led by district president, Subash Gupta, demanded carving out two more districts from Kathua as it is the biggest district in the state. “Kathua is the largest district with 16 tehsils and 19 blocks. We urged Sharma to carve out two more districts from Kathua for the equitable development of the entire populace,” he said, adding Beside we also demanded early opening of medical college in Kathua, which has been sanctioned for over four years now.
The BJP delegation highlighted the “discrimination meted to Jammu region on various fronts” with special representative while the JKNPP delegation demanded reorganisation of the state, with the establishment of twin states.
Later, Sharma held meeting with the district administration, where he was informed about the overall situation and key concerns of the area.
On October 23 last year, the Centre had appointed Sharma as the special representative to carry out sustained dialogue with all stakeholders to address the legitimate aspirations of the people of the strife-torn state.