Details

Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 31 December 2017

• Government is showing inability in retrieving power projects from the Central government and NHPC

SRINAGAR: Expressing concern over the deplorable condition of Electricity in Valley during winters, co-chairman, Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA)-an organization of various trade bodies, Farooq Ahmed Dar Sunday said that despite huge availability of natural resources, “J&K has been relegated to a consumer state by harsh policies of central and state government.” Criticizing the government for ignoring the people in Kashmir, Dar said that despite being detrimental to the state’s economy, government is showing inability in retrieving power projects from the Central government and NHPC.

“We pay more than rupees 5,000 crores taxes annually. But this hardly bothers  government as it is more interested in appeasing NHPC and political bosses at Delhi,” Dar said, emphasizing,  “Power projects should only be owned by state administration without any meddling from outside forces. “Allah has bestowed with us with natural resources, but the vision of state government is so blurred that  our natural resources are being looted right under it watch..” He exhorted.

Dar said” that the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) signed by India and Pakistan is the main villain in the powerlessness of J&K. “The treaty was signed to reel the J&K people in darkness. Rest, the loot of natural resources is being carried on by NHPC for the last 30 years here. Both the central and state government is responsible for pathetic scenario of our economy,” Dar alleged. 

Notifying that the last two decades have incurred astronomical losses to the states business sector, Dar alleged that despite this, government is bent on breaking the back of business people through imposition of new taxes.“We are not against paying of taxes. But government should consider the deplorable condition of business in Valley first before imposing any new taxes,” asserted Dar

“Despite having one of the most backward economies across the globe, Kashmiri traders have been paying more than 60 percent of taxes to the central government for the last 60 years in J&K. But, the condition of infrastructure is deplorable, that it gets evident that not a single penny from our taxes has been spent on infrastructure here. Besides, the present infrastructural mess is totally unviable for investment by outside players,” he said.

“The Modi government is bent on breaking the back of economy here, and is responsible for its battered structure. Had the central and state governments felt our pain, I don’t think they would have deepened our crisis through hard and rigid policies,” he pointed.“Being at the helm of central affairs, the BJP government only knows to pinch the business community in Kashmir harder. We have only suffered miseries through its rule. Dar Said