NC MPs express concern over sky-rocketing prices of essentials in Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 19: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Thursday expressed concern over sky-rocketing price rise of essential commodities and said incumbent government has miserably failed to provide succor to the people.
In a joint statement, the Members of Parliament Muhammad Akbar Lone and Hassnain Masoodi have said that the situation on ground is appalling and the future forecast does not look promising at all. “Public welfare doesn’t fall in the to-do-list of the government. People have been left to fend for themselves,” they said.
“Already reeling under the worst of economic crises, the people, especially the lower middle classes and other marginalized sections are additionally burdened by the crunch of escalating price rise of all the basic commodities and mounting LPG, power and drinking water tariffs. The contracting JK economy already has had an adverse effect on the household incomes , the escalation on basic public utilities and soaring inflation has pushed the people especially to wall. Let alone spending on clothing, medicine and education, people are not able to get two square meals for their families. It was expected that the crumbling economic activities in JK post 5, august 2019 will have a restraining effect on government’s taxation policy but the unabated rise in the electricity and water tariff has given slip to the unconcerned attitude of the government,” they said.
Continuing to remain under the heels of airdropped bureaucrats, the MPs said with vain exception of few virtual meeting, staged shows, PR gimmicks and window-dressing nothing substantial has been done to provide succor to the people to tide over the 2019 clampdown, 2014 deluge, and Covid-19 induced economic losses. “Administration has turned volte face to the economic distress of people fueled by job losses, crumbling economy, strained agriculture and horticulture sectors, widespread unemployment, development deficit, administrative inertia, and soaring unemployment. The policies of the incumbent government are a bad copy paste and not in sync with local issues and developmental demands. All the tailor-made and one sided measures of the incumbent administration have failed to uplift the local economy. Absence of a democratic government has further compounded the issues. Welfarism besides other things has been the first casualty of the top down policy of New Delhi in JK,” the MPs said.
“Growth and progress of the entire region has been stunted post 2014 floods. Let alone redressing the genuine political aspirations of the people of JK, the incumbent administration has failed to address the day to day issues of the people. Despite our opposition, the prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG have reached all time high. It goes without saying that if the trend continues, it will dent already stressed sectors of Kashmir economy beyond repair,” the duo added.