Srinagar Sept 18 (KNS): The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference General secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar on Monday said Srinagar city has become a byword for failed governance, mismanagement and underdevelopment, saying the city is at the brink due to absence of any holistic renewal mission.

While expressing concern over the indifference of the incumbent J&K government towards maintenance, and up gradation of civic amenities and infrastructure in the Srinagar city, Sagar said the present regime has turned its back to the development requirements of the city. “The infrastructure one gets to see around in the Srinagar city in terms of recreational parks, sewage treatment plants, drains had come up during the NC led governments. In the health sector also the up gradation and augmentation of infrastructure at major and minor public hospitals in the city took place during the last NC led government,” he said.

He said the incumbent J&K government is deliberately meting out step motherly treatment to the people of Srinagar. “The last time the suburbs of Srinagar had seen some development activity picking up in their locales was when Omar Abdullah was CM. Primary, secondary and tertiary health care centres haven’t seen any amplification in their basic infrastructure. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that it has hit an all-time high. There is no accountability on ground; there is no semblance of good governance on ground. The widespread disarray and unaccountability that has beset the administration in J&K has plunged the urban life of Srinagar city into chaos. Drudging of the city’s waterways, installation of additional water pumps, macadamisation of interior alleys and road ways have been left in a limbo. The administration has also miserably failed to upkeep the important landmarks, heritage buildings and shrines in Srinagar,” he said.

Burgeoning unemployment in the city of Srinagar is worrisome, Sagar said while drawing the attention of the government towards the increasing unemployment in Srinagar. “Measures like special placement drives, and introduction of skill development courses in city colleges, doling out of bank loans for urban youth and special employment drives have all been forgotten by J&K administration. On the contrary it has choked the already diminutive avenues of employment for city youth by coming up with new domicile law,” he said.(KNS)