Militancy down, red tape stunting growth, panel told
STAKEHOLDERS IN J&K AND LADAKH RAISED CONCERNS WITH THE VISITING HOUSE PANEL OVER BUREAUCRATIC DELAYS IN DEVELOPMENT WORK, SCHEMES
NEW DELHI: Officials in the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh told the visiting parliamentary panel on home affairs that militancy was at an all-time low and that there have been no instances of stone pelting even as they expressed concern about the development of Ladakh and many new schemes announced by the Union government being affected by bureaucratic delays.
“Many concerns were raised by different stakeholders,” said a person familiar with events and discussions during the panel’s visit to the state. “Both the UTs are waiting for development that has been hampered by a bureaucratisation of the process and a monopoly over releasing funds,” added this person who asked not to be named.
In its five-day long visit to the two UTs between August 17 to 21, the panel also visited Jammu, something such panels have rarely done in the past. The panel met with officials from the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, the administration of both UTs and industry leaders. It will compile a report for Parliament regarding the concerns raised, the person cited above said. The panel’s chairperson and Congress leader Anand Sharma and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rakesh Sinha also met industry leaders in Jammu .
Administration officials informed the panel that militancy was at an all-time low and there had been no stone pelting incident in six months. With the BSF, the panel travelled to the India-Pakistan border.
TERROR ATTACKS IN THE REGION HAVE COME DOWN FROM 614 IN 2018 TO ONLY 244 IN 2020, ACCORDING TO HOME MINISTRY
NEW DELHI: Officials in the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh told the visiting parliamentary panel on home affairs that militancy was at an all-time low and that there have been no instances of stone pelting even as they expressed concern about the development of Ladakh and many new schemes announced by the Union government being affected by bureaucratic delays.
“Many concerns were raised by different stakeholders,” said a person familiar with events and discussions during the panel’s visit to the state.
“Both the UTs are waiting for development that has been hampered by a bureaucratisation of the process and a monopoly over releasing funds,” added this person who asked not to be named.
In its five-day long visit to the two UTs between August 17 to 21, the panel also visited Jammu, something such panels have rarely done in the past.
The panel met with officials from the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, the administration of both UTs and industry leaders.
It will compile a report for Parliament regarding the concerns raised, the person cited above said. The panel’s chairperson and Congress leader Anand Sharma and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rakesh Sinha also met industry leaders in Jammu .
A second person familiar with the panel’s visit said that in Srinagar, the CRPF camp the panel visited was in shambles. “There were no toilet facilities and nearly five people were sharing a room,” the person said.
“Moreover, the officers wanted the panel to intervene to improve the living conditions and also raise the standard of the food.”
This person claimed that only ₹117 was allocated for food per person per day. “That is barely enough for one good meal,” the person said.
A CRPF spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Administration officials informed the panel that militancy was at an all-time low and there had been no stone pelting incident in the last six months.
According to data shared by the home ministry in Parliament in March this year, terror attacks in the region have come down from 614 in 2018 to only 244 in 2020. Similarly, stone pelting incidents have come down from 1,458 in 2018 to 327 last year.
With the BSF, the panel travelled to the India-Pakistan border.
“The road was in terrible shape, and it took nearly 25 minutes to traverse 3 kilometers,” the first person said. “In a tense situation, the army has to mobilise in a short period of time. The roads have to be improved.”
NS Jamwal, inspector general, BSF, informed the panel about the threats being faced on Jammu International Border, ranging from tunnelling, smuggling and stand of fire by Pakistani troops.
“A special emphasis was given to the threat posed by Pakistani drones abetting smuggling of weapons/narcotics from across the border,” BSF said in a statement.
“The committee was made aware of the challenges faced by BSF troops due to rainy season, foggy weather and high-altitude related problems. Jamwal also gave a glimpse of BSF border infrastructure covering various aspects like requirement of road connectivity up to border outposts, 24 hours uninterrupted supply of electricity and clean piped drinking water to the BOPs.”
In Ladakh, ”stakeholders in the newly formed UT urged the panel to help in the release of funds for the development of Ladakh that they said were being under-utilized,” the first person said.
In Ladakh, the panel met district officials and BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal. “The representative sought help from the panel for greater say in planning, implementation and devolution of financial powers,” said the first person.
HT reached out to Namgyal who did not respond to a request for comment.
The panel also heard concerns regarding corruption and regionalism in both the Union territories. “There will be a comprehensive review after which the panel will prepare a report for the parliament,” the second person said.