PDP seeks governor's intervention on 'ignored areas'

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday appealed to Governor N.N. Vohra to intervene for creating new administrative units in areas ignored by the the Jammu and Kashmir government.

PDP legislators presented a memorandum to the governor in Jammu Wednesday.

The memorandum said: "...we the PDP members, taking cognizance of protesting people of Jammu and Kashmir on having been neglected in the recent expansion of administrative network, presented a list of demands to honourable speaker...."

"We (PDP members) had to press the demands hard against the resistance of the government. During the process, one of our honourable members was inflicted an injury and the house was adjourned," it said.

PDP legislator Mushtaq Ahmad Shah was injured Tuesday in a scuffle with the assembly marshals who were ordered by Speaker Mubarak Gul to remove the protesting member out of the house.

"Today (Wednesday) also, in larger public interest we reiterated our demand and raised it on the floor of both the houses for proper response from the government. However, the presiding officers were unmoved and government was callously apathetic."

"Since our voice is being muzzled and public interest is ignored, we are deprived of our right to represent," the memorandum to the governor said.

"It is under this compulsion that we (PDP legislators) have been compelled to walk to Raj Bhavan and seek your intervention so that justice is done and the areas that have been left out in the arbitrary distribution of administrative units in the state are also given their due."

Thed PDP legislators said: "We take this opportunity also to seek your intervention to restore the dignity of the legislature and uphold the supremacy of constitution and law."

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has said her party would not allow normal functioning of the assembly unless justice is done to areas that, according to her, have been neglected while proposing new administrative units in the state.