Synopsis
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah discussed the complexities of hybrid governance in the Union territory. He emphasized that a single command center is more effective. He addressed other issues like reservation protests, land acquisition, and townships for decongesting Srinagar. Abdullah highlighted the importance of balancing development with protecting agricultural land.
ANIJammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the hybrid model of governance in the Union territory is not to anyone’s advantage and the systems work better when there is single centre of command. “Obviously, dual centres of power are not to anyone’s advantage. If dual centres were effective tools of governance, you would see it everywhere,” Abdullah told reporters at a media interaction here when asked about the hybrid model of governance in Jammu and Kashmir.
The chief minister said while there have been “differences of opinion on some issues”, there was no confrontation with the Raj Bhavan.
“Systems work better when there is single centre of command. For the UT, the dual centres of command are inbuilt. There have been differences of opinion on some issues, but not on the scale at which it is being speculated. Such reports are just a figment of imagination,” he added.
Abdullah said the business rules for the government would be framed after proper consultations and then sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The chief minister said he was not the one to tell people not to go to the Raj Bhavan.
“I would say people should go wherever they can get their issues resolved be it in the Raj Bhavan or with the local MLA or the officers,” he added.
Asked about his party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s protest over the issue of reservation, Abdullah said the National Conference (NC) is a democracy and anyone has the right to speak.
“NC was often accused of being a family party. But we have always said that we are a democracy and everyone has a right to speak. Look at the positive side, how much change has come. From a time when protesting was considered illegal, people protested and reached my door. We had a meeting afterwards,” he said, referring to the anti-reservation protest near his residence in Gupkar which was joined by Mehdi.
As far as reservation is concerned, I told the delegates that the cabinet sub-committee has been framed, the chief minister said.
The party expected that Mehdi, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, would hold a similar protest for the restoration of statehood in Parliament as well, he added.
Abdullah, however, said while we can fight the reserved and open category fight, “but first we have to save our jobs”.
“What will we do when people from other places come here for jobs?” he asked.
Responding to a question on the row over land acquisition for a campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the chief minister said there is a need to find a balance between development and protecting our productive agriculture land.
“We cannot increase our land, development cannot stop. We will try to ensure that development projects are on non-productive lands as much as possible. I met a delegation from Pulwama and I said to them that if you don’t want NIT in Pulwama, we will take it to some other location,” Abdullah said.
“Not everyone is against development. There are other areas where we can locate this NIT. We will have to find a balance between development and protecting our productive agriculture land,” he added.
On the opposition’s allegation about a satellite colony being built, the chief minister said there is no such proposal on his table as he looks after the department.
“The people who are making most noise were the ones who talked about greater Jammu and Srinagar,” he said.
Abdullah, however, said townships will be built for decongesting the Srinagar city.
“It is for those people who want to move to the suburbs. There are four to five families living in one house in downtown (Srinagar),” he added.
