Jammu: Accusing Jammu and Kashmir ministers of “disappearing” from the scene when people needed them most during floods, BJP today said government institutions should be made responsible and corruption-free to deal with such calamities.
“We ridicule the opportunistic leaders, particularly some ministers, who disappeared from the scenes of floods when the public needed them most and those directly responsible for loss of men and materials had gone in hibernation,” BJP state spokesperson Nirmal Kamal told reporters here today. Attacking the Omar Abdullah government for “going in hibernation” and expressing apprehension of corruption in flood relief and rehabilitation work, she said, “The state government should awake to introspect unwarranted corrupt and biased administrative approach to deal with highly sensitive projects fallen prey to corrupt practices.”
“J&K has acquired No. 1 status in corruption. This unfortunate September calamity is evidential,” she said. “Fiddling with nature, unbridled urbanisation, unauthorised land allotments, land grabbing and neglected river embankments—all are pointers towards flourished corruption with the consent of those in power,” she alleged. The institutions assigned the job to remain vigilant are ineffective and non-vigilant, catching only small fish once in a blue moon, she alleged.
“It is senseless to retain tainted elements for long till they are proven guilty,” Kamal said, adding that establishing special fast-trial courts could solve the menace to some extent.
“There is a growing demand for centralised agency to distribute relief materials as the people have lost trust in the government,” she said.
The Chief Minister being the administrative head of the state should not protect the tainted ministers and officers and should own the moral responsibility for the present “turmoil”, she said.
“It is high time to make institutions functional and responsible to stop any such untoward calamity,” she said. She appreciated the cooperation shown by people of Jammu towards victims of the natural disaster. She also hailed Chief Justice of J&K High Court for personally distributing relief materials.
