DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
JAMMU, july 10
Working President JKPCC Raman Bhalla accompanied by Former Minister J&K Yogesh Sawhney, ex-MLA Jammu East visited Jammu East Constituency on Wednesday to discuss concerns and issues of local residents. On visiting the ward, the leaders first inaugurated a Bhandara at Ram Mandir Purani Mandi, Ward No. 4 Jammu East. Mahant Rameshwar Maharaj Ji had organised it for the devotees and pilgrims of Shri Amarnath Yatra and he honored the Congress leaders during the visit. After paying their respects at the temple, they toured the ward and met with locals who voiced their genuine concerns to them and sought their support. Bhalla assured the people of Congress party’s commitment towards addressing these issues.
Speaking during the visit, Former Minister J&K and Working President PCC Raman Bhalla highlighted the recent fire incident at a local shop, attributing it to the faulty smart meters installed by the authorities. He strongly criticized the administration for their negligence, and mentioned the complete damage and loss suffered by the shop owner. He further stated that the suffered shopkeeper had received no compensation or support till now. The fire is a direct result of the poorly managed smart meter installations, he said, adding that it is unacceptable that the affected shop owner has not received any compensation for the huge losses. He further criticized the administration for their lack of response and called for immediate action to address such safety hazards and look into helping out the affected local residents without further delay. The negligence and lack of action on part of the authorities is causing a lot of issues and obstructing the lives of local residents, he said.
The Working President of PCC also addressed broader issues faced by the residents of Ward No. 4, including poor infrastructure and inadequate maintenance of lanes. People expressed their issues to him and labeled the Smart City program as fraudulent, accusing the ruling BJP of failing to deliver on their promises. He stated that the Smart City program has been nothing but a facade, with no real improvements on the ground. The BJP has completely ignored the basic needs of our people, and people want to hold BJP accountable, Bhalla asserted. He said that on hearing the concerns of the local people, it is clear that the ground situation in Jammu city is very dire. People are not satisfied with the current state of affairs, and the reality of things points to a complete neglect by administration, and govt. at the Centre, he said. It is very disappointing to hear of the people’s issues which are related to basic amenities such as water, cleanliness, infrastructure, electricity and drainage. Such basic issues are being ignored by the local BJP leaders, administration, govt and it is leading to very poor quality of life for people in Jammu city, Bhalla stated. Also speaking at the meeting, ex-MLA Jammu East and Former Minister Yogesh Sawhney stated that the Congress party was dedicated in its aim of addressing the concerns of the local populace. We are visiting the ward to listen to the people and ensure that their voices are heard. The current administration has failed to provide even the most basic amenities, and Congress party will continue to fight for the rights and welfare of the residents, Sawhney said. He further added that the interaction with local people helps to realise the genuine concerns of the public at the grassroots level. It is surprising to hear BJP leaders boast off about Smart City program implementation in Jammu city when on ground the picture is very bleak. Smart meters and their problematic installation is causing a lot of trouble to the common man, however, people’s voice has fallen on deaf ears of leaders of the current regime. Congress party also urges the administration to take remedial action in this regard and also provide reasonable compensation to the shopkeeper whose shop was damaged in a fire caused by faulty smart meters.
Exorbitant electricity bills, poor drainage management, broken roads were other very troubling issues that were observed in the ward during the interaction with the locals, Sawhney said. Party is motivated to help address all these issues, he added. Along witb Raman Bhalla, Yogesh Sawhney senior leaders including Abhimanyu Singh, Varinder Manhas, Pawan Dev Singh, Ram Magotra, Chander Shekhar Sharma, Rahul Tandon, Raj Kumar Meenia, Ajay Kumar Kai, Vimal Kumar, Kuldeep Shukla, Surinder Kumar, Rishab Kohli, Mehul Abrol and others were present.
