KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

Kashmir based civil society group, KCSDS, Friday termed a government order regarding shelter for “urban homeless” in Jammu and Kupwara under NULM for the year 2015-2016 as “confusing and deceitful”.

KCSDS has come across a copy of the Revised Minutes dated 8/1/2016 of the Project Sanctioning Committee constituted for finalization of shelter for urban homeless in Kupwara and Jammu, a statement issued by the group said this evening.

“The minutes further said Commissioner Housing and Urban Development pressed for the construction of similar facilities in other districts like Srinagar, Samba, Budgam, Reasi and Kathua also in the near future,” the statement claimed. “while analysing the minutes, KCSDS found these very confusing and deceitful.”

“In one sentence, it states that this component will focus on providing shelter to people who are living either on roadside or under flyovers or in the homes of their relatives. In another sentence it states the occupants will not be necessarily state subjects and that the facility so created shall be transitory,” the statement said.

“First of all, let us make it very clear that it is a common knowledge that there are no homeless persons in our state. Even the poorest have a shelter in Kashmir. To that extent the attempt is to transplant a city like Delhi in Kupwara to begin with. Homeless persons are a feature of industrialized cities rather than broadly agricultural societies like ours. Viewed this way, the project is yet another attempt to drill a hole in the state subject law of the state under the garb of so-called humanitarian concern. In reality, it is part of the state machinations to settle outsiders in the state of J&K to change its demographics,” the statement alleged.

“NULM project does not apply to J&K in the first place as the situation of homeless people does not exist here; secondly, the state cannot provide this facility to outsiders precisely because state subject law does not permit it. The project is, therefore, a masquerade for diluting the state subject law by settling outside labour force, stray visitors and others in the state. The minutes are full of prevarications to deceive Kashmiris into believing that it is  purely a harmless humanitarian project meant to serve ‘imaginary homeless  citizens of the  state’ but actually meant to stab them in the back. This project and the scheme under which it comes is inapplicable to J&K for the condition is not there; thirdly, it is totally in violation of the state subject law hence unacceptable to the people of Kashmir,” the statement further said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the state subject law was brought in by late Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927 in response to the pundits’ demand who feared of being outnumbered and outsmarted by outsiders.

“KCSDS demands from the state government immediate withdrawal of such proposal/rescind such a proposal brought out by bureaucracy in league with the swindling government or face valley wide fierce public agitation,” it said.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here