Doda: The Democratic Progressive Azad Party founder Ghulam Nabi Azad today that he will restore the Roshni land ownership scheme if elected Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu and Kashmir State Lane (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001, popular known as Roshni Scheme scrapped ab initio by Governor Satya Pal Malik and later struck down by the State High Court. This law had conferee land ownership rights to lakhs of people who now face eviction.
The law was originally brought by Farooq Abdullah government in 2001, later modified by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2004 and made more accessible by Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2001.
We need development, good governance and public participation to keep democracy alive in this part of country,” Azad said while addressing a gathering of workers at Bhagwah, Dessa in Doda.
He said whatever good he had done in Jammu and Kashmir as Chief Minister; the present regime is destroying it brick by brick. “Be it Roshni scheme, or other socioeconomic projects all have been targeted and people are systematically disempowered,” he said.
Under the Roshni scheme people were empowered to secure their livelihood and the hospitals were built for proper treatment of patients, roads were built to connect people and economy. You can see now not only land rights were snatched, these hospitals have staff deficiency, roads are not maintained which has hit the economy of common people,” he said.
Azad promised his workers, if he is elected to power, he will restore the Roshni scheme and will create abundant job opportunities for the local youth, also assured employment to labourers since they are forced now to migrate to other states to earn their livelihood.
He also criticized those who are opposing Article 370 and said that he is hopeful of a positive outcome from the Supreme Court where the batch of petitions are being heard on day-to-day basis. “Those who oppose Article 370 are actually ignorant of Jammu Kashmir’s history, politics and geography. Article 370 was aimed to benefit the state not any particular community, religion or region. We are hopeful Supreme Court will restore it since its abrogation was illegal,” he said.
Among others who were present in the meetings were G.M.Saroori Vice Chairman, Ab Majeed Wani General Secretary, Rtd IGP P.R.Manhas Zonal President, Ramesh Parihar Sr DPAP leader, Asif Gattu Distt President DPAP and others.
