A visit by this correspondent to Srinagar and adjoining areas and meetings with locals and officials revealed that Jammu and Kashmir has traversed a significant distance since August 5, 2019 when special status was withdrawn and the state turned into a Union Territory. A look at some of the developments and challenges.
Politics
The oft-repeated question in Jammu and Kashmir among politicians is when the Assembly elections will take place and statehood be restored. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has assured that the promise made by Home Minister Amit Shah on the floor of Parliament is sacrosanct and will be followed. Shah had stated that the sequence of events will be – delimitation of constituencies in the state, followed by revision of electoral rolls, Assembly elections and full statehood once the situation became conducive for it.
While delimitation and revision of electoral rolls have been done, there is no clarity about when Assembly elections will be held. Though it is obvious that the abrogation of Article 370 will not be reversed ever, PDP and National Conference present this as their key demand in all public interactions.
BJP is not likely to go for elections till it feels its own electoral prospects- in a post-poll scenario where one or more of the regional parties join hands with it- are somewhat bright. With the Lieutenant Governor- a BJP leader no less- ruling the state, it is the Centre that calls the shots at present, a situation that suits the saffron party.
While one possibility is holding Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha polls, one gets a sense that the exercise may be further postponed. The dispensation appears to be of the view that the impact and influence of the various development measures that have been initiated under Sinha are likely to sink in among the people only after a few more months.
The Challenges facing the state
Drugs and terrorism are a major issue for the state. Earlier the state was only a conduit for drugs but now there has been an increase in the consumption by locals, especially the youth. Like neighbouring Punjab, the young populace in Jammu and Kashmir is disillusioned due to a lack of jobs and sources of income which is leading to a growing market for drugs.
Government sources state that drugs have become the medium for payment to terrorists. Drugs enter the state through the golden crescent route and authorities maintain elements in Pakistan are playing a key role.
While the government has managed to avert any major terror attack, there have been sporadic instances which have led to army and para-military casualties. South Kashmir and Jammu region are said to be more vulnerable to terror activities. However, local recruitment for terror activities is arguably less now.
Targeted killings are a matter of concern though officials claim this is not so. Over 5,400 Kashmiri Pandits have returned to the Valley. The reluctance and fear among them of being killed by terrorists had led the LG to warn that those government employees who do not turn up for work will face punitive action.
Unemployment is another major challenge and though the government has filled some vacancies with 11,000 appointments since 2021, there is a demand for more. For decades, the state had the practice of those in power appointing their favourites in lower-rung government jobs without holding any recruitment examinations.
64,000 employees have been regularized while another 42,000 are waiting to get this status.
Government sources maintain unemployment is steadily going down, especially due to creation of more jobs in a growing private sector and are optimistic the 2022-23 figures will show a further improvement. The clout of “beneficiaries of conflict” is fast decreasing, claim officials.
The Changes
Government has taken several measures to improve the situation on the ground and return the trouble-torn state to normalcy and growth. Jan Bhagidari, a portal aimed at empowering people, helps them monitor the progress of various development projects and get an overview of the work done. This has ushered in a greater degree of transparency and built more trust in the dispensation.
J&K’s Budget Estimation, Allocation and Monitoring System (BEAMS) has also “empowered” people as they can apprise themselves of the government projects.
The state is putting systems in place for time-bound delivery of projects. Whereas earlier just 35 services were online, the figure stands at 625 today.
Corruption is still a big issue at the lower levels of government but with more and more services going online and direct transfer of funds, there is confidence that it will be checked further.
Employment process has been made transparent and backdoor entry has been stopped.
The J&K Bank, which once had the reputation of being highly corrupt, now boasts of being clean and providing efficient services.
Tourism has seen a jump of 59% according to government officials. However, most of the tourists are those who are on pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi (which was not disrupted in the last two decades) and Amarnath.
But things are looking up with identification of 300 new tourist places in the state. This includes 75 Sufi sites, 75 trekking sites and 75 heritage sites.
State government has received industry setting up proposals worth Rs 80,000 Crore. Officials claim around 5,700 proposals have been cleared, 1,700 industry projects have been given land, around 1,000 have already made payments while 127 have started work on their projects.
Lithium findings in Reasi are likely to bring significant revenues to the state.
The Common People and the Ground Situation
People have a mixed view of the abrogation of Article 370 with the older generation more critical of the move. The youngsters are worried about employment challenges and most of them still aim at going out of the state for jobs.
“Till the abrogation of Article 370, all political parties here used to emphasize that the special status is good for Jammu and Kashmir. They insisted that not being a part of the mainstream will benefit the state. It only benefited those in power and having vested interests. So to expect that the thinking will change in just four years is not practical,” an official said.
While the government claims street violence has stopped, strict imposition of the ban on processions is a big factor in controlling it. The stone pelting which was quite common earlier was organized by those who wanted to disrupt peace for their own interests, some officials alleged.
The Lieutenant Governor took part in the Muharram procession which was permitted after many years. However, there is resentment that Mirwaiz is not allowed to give his sermons and lead the prayers at Jama Masjid in downtown. The usual procession after Eid prayers are also not allowed. These processions would often see people displaying pro-Pakistan and pro-freedom banners. Anti-India sloganeering and violence were also common in large gatherings on the streets.
However, now the locals and tourists are seen enjoying themselves on the banks of the Dal lake and Jhelum river till late in the night.
Many locals in Srinagar and Pulwama say with no Assembly in the state, there are no MLAs they can go to for redressal of their issues and approaching the LG for these issues is not easy.
The people are hopeful elections and restoration of statehood will improve things further.
(Views are personal)