BJP State Spokesperson Prof. Virender Gupta expressed his great concern on the fact that the people of Jammu region are still suffering discrimination in the matter of their political empowerment, representation in the state services including Civil Secretariat, appointments against various positions like Assistant Professors in the state colleges, medical consultants, lecturers in State Medical Colleges, in police department and in other departments of the state government.
He said that the present government has come to power with an aim to remove alienation between the people of Jammu region and Kashmir Valley, while ensuring equitable development and judicious representation in the state administration and in other state departments. He said that even though the performance of the present PDP-BJP led government is for better than the previous governments in the state. The government has launched various schemes/projects of development and for the welfare of the common masses and in particular the down trodden residents of the state.
However, Prof. Virender Gupta said that there is a need to take more steps, particularly in the matter of decentralization of political, administration and financial powers. He expressed the need for the creation of Regional Autonomous Councils for all the three regions of the state, empowering the councils with legislative, administrative and financial powers. Each council should have its own assembly/ council empowered to make legislation for the concerned region, with each council having separate funds allocation from the Centre and power to generate its own financial resources and power of appointments against gazetted and non-gazetted positions in its own region. The State Government should have the jurisdiction on some subjects of common interests, mutually decided by the regions and added that the employees of the state government should be drawn from all the three regions on the basis of deputation.
He also said that to make State Government more responsive and effective to the issues concerning the people of the state it is essential that civil secretariat and other State departments, State corporations be bifurcated, with one stationed at Jammu and other at Srinagar throughout the year. He said that in the winter season the grievances of the people of the Valley which need better attention, are being addressed properly and the people have not to wait for the Darbar to move back in Summer. Whereas, the people of Jammu region are not properly attended during the summer season as the Darbar at that time shifts to Srinagar. He said that Commissioner and the Ministers should rotate between Srinagar and Jammu after fortnightly or monthly, whereas each region should have a separate administrative setup.
Prof. Virender Gupta also stressed upon that the recommendation of R.S. Singhal Committee-1999 be accepted which had recommended that candidates of each region be accommodated in the professional institutions existing in the respective region.
