'Biggest challenge for Mehbooba in 2017 was restoring JK

Srinagar: The biggest challenge for Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in 2017 was restoring the faith of the people of the state, especially those from the Valley, in the system, and the first government in the state headed by a woman claims to have taken many steps to bring smiles on the faces of the people.

“As the scars of the 2016 unrest — both physical and economic — were yet to heal, Mehbooba had started the year with a determined zeal and dedication to pull the people out of the morass they were caught in during the previous year’s unfortunate turbulence,” an official spokesman said today.

He said the biggest challenge was to restore the faith of the people in the system and reconnect with them and added that the chief minister took the challenge head on through her public outreach programmes.

“Known for taking challenges head on throughout her life, Mehbooba started to reconnect the administrative apparatus with the masses. “For the first time in the administrative history of the state, the chief minister started visiting the far-flung districts, along with the heads of departments and officers of her secretariat, to personally assess the developmental needs, fix the problems and listen to the people’s grievances, which had so far remained unheard,” the spokesman said.

Mehbooba launched the public outreach programmes from Pulwama district of south Kashmir, which had witnessed large- scale violence in 2016. “Pulwama had suffered the most due to the unrest of 2016. Its economy, development, social life — everything had suffered. People came in hoards to narrate their tales of deprivation. The chief minister listened patiently during her first public outreach programme. They put forward their demands and in many cases, Mehbooba ordered an on-the-spot redressal of the same,” the spokesman said.

He added that the public outreach programmes extended through the districts of Kupwara, Budgam, Bandipora, Gurez, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kulgam and Anantnag in the Kashmir province and Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Samba and Rajouri in the Jammu province. “She visited Leh and Kargil about three-four times and inspected the pace of development in the region. She continued to listen to people till late at night and at Doda, when the clock struck 1.40 am, she was still asking the administration not to prevent anyone who wanted to meet her.

“An elderly person of a remote village of the Paddar area, bordering Zanskar, during such a programme at Kishtwar, said they had seen chief ministers coming and lecturing but for the first time, they saw a chief minister listening, noting down their problems and issuing orders,” the spokesman said. He said Mehbooba’s “healing touch” in 2017 was amnesty to those youngsters who were not involved in any heinous crime, including those involved in stone-pelting cases.

“One of the scars the 2016 unrest had left was a large number of cases against the youth. Their parents had been pleading for amnesty to let them be home with family and work peacefully. Considering the demand, the chief minister ordered a review of the cases against such youth. “She also directed withdrawal of cases, lodged between 2008 and 2015 against around 5,000 young men, who were not involved in heinous crimes. A big relief for the parents of these young men, besides the much-needed healing touch for them, who had so far only seen commotion, ruthlessness and restlessness but compassion,” the spokesman said.

In the later part of the year, the chief minister issued orders of regularisation of about 60,000 employees who were working in various government departments as daily wagers. “The state government’s working had been plagued by a daily wage culture. These workers were inadequately paid for their full services and at times, not paid at all. Mehbooba took the bold decision of regularising the services of these 60,000 workers, which many of the previous regimes were shying away from,” the spokesman said.

He added that the chief minister had consistently been highlighting the need for a dialogue with all the stakeholders in the state. “This, she believes, is the only way ahead to ensure a lasting peace, tranquillity and equitable development of all the regions of the state. This, she has impressed upon the Centre time and again. As a result, the Centre decided to appoint a special representative (Dineshwar Sharma) for Jammu and Kashmir, with the status of a cabinet secretary.

“So far, he (Sharma) has visited the state thrice and met hundreds of groups and delegations for the consultative process,” the spokesman said. He expressed hope that the process moved on and concluded with some good results for the people of the state. “But for now, the decisions and hard work of the chief minister throughout the year have brought the smile and hope back to the faces of the people. This is just the beginning, the journey is still on,” he said.