Destroy nature, get punished with disasters like Ramban: Mehbooba Mufti

Jammu, April 21 (IANS) Former J&K Chief Minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti slammed the authorities on Monday for the unabated concretisation and cutting down of trees in the ecologically fragile environment of J&K, saying that if nature is disturbed, then disasters like Ramban are bound to happen.

“When we destroy nature’s balance, we get punished through disasters like Ramban. Nature’s fury apart, the indiscriminate felling of trees and disturbing the delicate ecological balance are the main reasons for disasters like Ramban,” said the former Chief Minister while addressing the media persons in Jammu.

She added that lives have been lost in Ramban, scores have been dislocated, men, women and children are stranded on the national highway, while vehicles are under the debris in Ramban.

“I appeal to the government to get the debris removed promptly. Arrangements for shelter and food should be made for the stranded people,” she said.

The PDP president said that a few days back, there were gusty winds and a hailstorm in Jammu as well, adding that the ‘Basmati’ crop and mango fruit have been damaged.

“In the Valley, also, a hailstorm has damaged apple and almond buds. The government should send teams to assess the damage and see how much relief can be provided to the affected people in Jammu and Kashmir. You know, horticulture is the backbone of J&K’s economy,” she said.

She demanded that pesticides be provided at cheaper rates to the affected farmers, adding that the regularisation of daily wagers in various departments is also a major concern.

“We had brought SRO 520 during our government to regularise the daily wagers. But, the government fell and we could not regularise the daily wagers. Our MLAs recently brought a bill in the Assembly for the regularisation of the daily wagers. The L-G had also cleared the tabling of the bill. But, the government did not allow the tabling of the bill and delayed the matter on one pretext or the other,” she said.

The former Chief Minister said many departments are functioning smoothly because of the daily wagers, but these people have been suffering, in some cases, for more than 25 years.

She also spoke against the demolition of properties by the government. “You know, this is the time of bulldozers. Notices have been given to some residents in Bhatindi in Jammu and also in the Valley. We have demanded that people living on government land, especially the poor people, should be allowed to live at their places of residence,” she said.

The former Chief Minister also alleged that mining contracts properly allotted to locals are not being allowed to be executed. “If illegal mining is stopped, that is understandable, but stopping legally allotted mining contracts to help the mining mafia is not acceptable at all,” she said.

–IANS

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