Seeks immediate restoration of public transport, reduction in huge taxes on the transport industry, petrol, diesel 

 

Jammu, April 27 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has expressed grave concern over the rising casualties and worsening Covid situation in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the rest of the country and blamed the central government for its total mishandling and failure to take timely steps to prevent the spread of the deadly disease as well to create necessary health facilities to minimise the loss of lives.

 

In an emergency meeting Chaired by the PCC president Shri G A Mir and attended by senior leaders Raman Bhalla, Ravinder Sharma, The Balwan Singh, Yogesh Sawhney, Rajnish Sharma, Manmohan Singh, Hari Singh Chib besides others, the party expressed shock over the loss of precious lives and conveyed deep sense of sympathies with all those undergoing these sufferings and loss of near and dear ones.

The meeting felt that India is in the worst situation in the entire world mainly due to the failure of the government to act timely to prevent the spread of the fatal disease and to create necessary infrastructure and required health facilities in time for the second wave of Covid, which was anticipated to come.

The Modi government and ruling BJP were more concerned about the elections than the lives of the people, who were left to die on the roads due to lack of beds and oxygen in the government and private hospitals throughout the country. The death was dancing on the roads but the government was busy in ongoing elections in West Bengal and other States including panchayat elections in UP.

The Modi government just woke up a couple of days back when the situation is out of control and it has been taking steps to create those facilities like oxygen which should have been in place much before. Who is responsible for the man-made disaster and loss of lives for failure to provide beds and oxygen, it asked the government.

In Jammu and Kashmir alone 264 precious lives have been lost this year including 153 this month alone. The infrastructure and health facilities have started crumbling in initial stages, the black marketing of oxygen has begun and what would be the fate of people next, they questioned the UT administration.

The public transport is off the road causing unbearable loss and avoidable hardships to the common people and government is clueless about the solution with transporters.

The government teachers and others are supposed to attend the duties without public transport and in the absence of students in schools. Ji

Why the government does not dispense with the huge taxes over the transporters including the unprecedented hike in excise duty on petrol and diesel to create a balance and take care of the common consumers and transporters both, they questioned. On one hand, the central government and UT administration have imposed heavy taxes on the transport industry and caused a record hike of the rates of fuel besides capping the passenger limit and on the other hands, it expects no increase in passenger and freight rates. This entire burden is to be borne by the common man who has to pay from their nose.

The party constituted two separate covid committees for each region to regularly monitor the situation and report to AICC as per directions of the party high command.

The committee for Jammu includes Former Minister Raman Bhalla, as its chairman while Shri Balwan Singh, Ex MLA, Yogesh Sawhney and Shri Ravinder Sharma while Shri Taj Mohiuddin ex-minister, Mohammad Amin Bhat Ex-MLA, S S Channi general secretary and Abdul Gani Khan DCC President Srinagar shall look after the Kashmir division and report daily to the high command.(KNS)