Accusing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party of “using flood victims as bait to come to power” in J&K, Kashmir’s top business and trade organizations on Friday said that Rs 2000 crore earmarked for rehabilitation of flood affected people is “a mockery and an insult to people who lost their lives and livelihood in the worst-ever deluge.”
The Valley-based business community accused the PDP of using flood rehabilitation as an “excuse to forge alliance with BJP to serve their interest, while letting the people suffer.”
President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mushtaq Ahmad Wani said the government has “played a crude joke” with the people of Kashmir.
“It is an irony that out of Rs 80000 crore, only Rs 2000 crore is earmarked for rehabilitation of flood victims and out of this, only Rs 800 crore are for rehabilitation of businesses,” he said. “It’s a shame on the government which forged its alliance with BJP on the promise of rehabilitating the flood victims.”
“Even insurance companies operating in the state have settled claims of more than Rs 2000 crore,” Wani said, and accused the state government of “failing to meet the expectations of people.”
Terming Rs 2000 crore rehabilitation package as “insult to the injury” of flood victims of Kashmir, the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation President, Muhammad Yasin Khan, said: “PDP befooled people only to come to power, and to stay in power.”
Rs 800 crore is meant for affected shopkeepers and Rs 1200 crore for those who lost their houses. What will each flood victim get when the total number of affected families is 15 lakh?”
Khan, who also heads the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), said it is clear that PDP “befooled people.”
“When relief and rehabilitation was the priority, PDP said elections would bring better government which would work for the flood affected people. What happened to that promise? It is clear that PDP stressed on untimely elections only to come to power,” he said.
Khan said after coming to power, the agenda of PDP is “to be in power somehow.”
“PDP has done it by sabotaging the rehabilitation of flood victims as this conspiracy will serve the RSS plan of keeping the people of Kashmir suppressed,” Khan said.
He said by not pleading that case of Rs 44,000 crore package as was sought by the then government, the PDP has “served the interests of their RSS masters in Nagpur.”
Khan clarified that KTMF and KEA were not silent spectators to the “anti-people policy of the ruling coalition,” but the Forum would “soon announce its future course of action at a press conference.”
“Basically through this so-called rehab package, this corrupt government wants to fill coffers of their corrupt ministers and officers and we will not tolerate it,” Khan cautioned.
President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kashmir, Zahoor Ahmad Tramboo said the state government has “once again ditched people for Kashmir for their gains.”
