Dogra Sadar Sabha has demanded two separate secretariats for Jammu and Kashmir in the two existing buildings and function as two autonomous regional councils under the Union Territory of J&K with Girish Chandra Murmu as Lieutenant Governor. “It is important to have separate fund allocations for both regions, in consideration of population. The Jammu region must not be punished for being law abiding nationalists of all communities living together amicably and keeping peace denouncing the Stone / Gun culture,” said Th Gulchain Singh Charak, president of the Dogra Sadar Sabha, while addressing a press conference, here. Listing the instances of discrimination, he quoted as to how the two H1N1 (Swine Flu) detection labs sanctioned four years back have been instituted. The one in Kashmir is functional for the last three years while work is stalled for the proposed lab in GMC Jammu for paucity of funds awaiting release procedures, he said and added that it is not an isolated example as 90 percent staff in the erstwhile J&K State secretariat is from one region and placed under nepotism through back door entries to serve specific regions and masters. Charak also drew attention towards the stalled progress of AIIMS, IIT, Gandola, Tawi Lake, Water upper lift canals, Garbage processing units, Vertical Parking slots, Fly Overs, Circular Road and said the list is endless. The creation of Jammu Smart City programme is also a non- starter. These works can be completed only by instituting an autonomous Regional Council, separate fund allocation and round the year operative secretariat at Jammu, he stressed. Welcoming the purported domicile arrangement, the DSS president recommended that the domicile for residential purpose must be given after 30 years as in case of Himachal Pradesh. “The transfer of land for industrial and commercial purpose should be made after proper scrutiny regarding the capability, capacity, expertise, local employment potential and pollution criterion. Any entrepreneur detrimental to local trade and commercial interests must not be allowed. To employ fixed percentage of local youth and their skill building should be incorporated as pre-conditions. The sanctity of forest land and agricultural land must be maintained and the Kandi areas may be offered for industrial growth allowed with modern town planning,” he suggested. Prem Sagar Gupta, Col Dr Virendra K Sahi, Gambhir Charak, Col Karan Singh Jamwal and Amanat Ali Shah were also present in the press conference.
