Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Jan 01 : Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (PC) president and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone on Thursday accused the National Conference-led government of betraying public trust, alleging that its tenure so far has been marked by unfulfilled promises and weak governance.
Addressing a press conference, Lone, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said the year 2025 had “exposed the government’s claims,” asserting that key electoral assurances had not been implemented.
He alleged that the promise of providing 200 units of free electricity had not materialised and claimed that residents in non-metered areas were instead facing increased power tariffs.
Lone alleged that the assurance of providing 12 free gas cylinders annually had been dropped, while the promise of generating one lakh jobs had resulted in what he termed an “outsourcing model” for government posts.
He also claimed this had adversely affected employment prospects for local youth.
The PC president also criticised frequent transfers in the administration, alleging that governance had been reduced to a system focused on postings rather than service delivery.
Referring to Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara, Lone alleged discrimination against the institution, claiming it was being denied facilities available to other medical colleges in the Union Territory.
He said that while other institutions had received MRI machines, GMC Handwara had not.
Lone said he would explore corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding to procure diagnostic facilities if the government did not act.
Lone also raised concerns over the reservation policy, alleging regional imbalance in selections under reserved categories and called for the restoration of district and divisional cadres.
He criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for what he described as a lack of response to alleged incidents involving Kashmiris outside the Union Territory, saying the government should intervene in such matters.
Lone said public dissatisfaction with the government was increasing and asserted that the Peoples Conference would continue to raise issues related to governance and accountability.
Meanwhile, senior PC leader and chief spokesperson Bashir Ahmed Dar also addressed the press conference.
He castigated the ruling party for focussing on political symbolism rather than governance
He dismissed the recent Rajya Sabha nomination by the ruling party as lacking administrative relevance, stating that Members of Parliament do not have a direct role in district-level development—(KNO)
