Statehood restoration must happen soon: Satish Sharma

Srinagar, Feb 25: Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir cannot function with two power centers, Sports Minister Satish Sharma on Wednesday said that people are tired of the Union Territory arrangement and statehood must be restored at the earliest.
Minister Sharma said public sentiment strongly favoured the return of statehood and added that the existing administrative structure has created governance challenges.
“Statehood restoration must happen soon. People are tired of the UT setup,” Sharma said, adding that Jammu and Kashmir required a unified administrative system to ensure efficient governance.
The minister said the present arrangement was unprecedented, noting that a full-fledged state had been converted into a Union Territory, which he described as a model that had not delivered expected results.
He exuded hope that the Prime Minister would fulfil the commitment regarding restoration of statehood in the near future.
Sharma asserted that Jammu and Kashmir could not operate with dual centres of authority and stressed that a single, accountable governance structure was necessary for political stability, economic growth and employment generation.
He said that restoration of statehood would strengthen democratic institutions, accelerate development initiatives and help address public aspirations across the region.
While referring to the tourism boom, he said, “J&K is emerging as a factory of tourism. The visitor inflow has not stopped despite attempts by certain forces to create a negative perception about the region.”
The Minister said that J&K continues to witness strong tourist interest. He credited the hospitality of local people and sustained government efforts for restoring confidence among travellers after challenging periods. “Peace and public participation have strengthened the tourism sector in the region,” he added.
Responding to BJP criticism over the use of artificial snow during winter sports events, he defended the decision and said the technology was widely adopted across global winter destinations to maintain competition standards amid changing weather conditions.
The minister dismissed the criticism as uninformed and maintained that modern snow making systems were necessary to extend the duration of competitions and ensure smooth conduct of events such as the Khelo India Winter Games.
He also said future editions of the Winter Games would be planned in accordance with weather conditions. He said the technical team would finalise dates only after assessing snowfall and snow stability, ensuring better scheduling and athlete safety.
Highlighting environmental concerns, he said climate change and ecological pressures required a balanced approach that combined sports promotion with sustainability measures.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to expanding tourism, Minister Sharma said efforts were underway to diversify destinations and promote year round tourism activities, while strengthening Jammu and Kashmir’s position as a premier winter sports hub in the country. (KNO)