Centre ignoring genuine concerns, apprehensions of J&K residents: NPP

National Panthers Party (NPP) on Sunday accused the Centre of ignoring the "genuine concerns and apprehensions" of the people of Jammu and Kashmir following the scrapping of Article 370 last month.

NPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh said it has already highlighted the concerns of the people for protection of their lands and jobs through a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would continue to agitate till the issue is addressed.

"While the Centre appears to be fully focussed on Ladakh, the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to feel the heat of the adverse fallouts of the latest decisions... people wanted the domicile law as enacted during the rule of (last Dogra ruler) Maharaja Hari Singh to continue to safeguard their interests," Singh said in a statement here.

Welcoming the doles conferred upon Ladakh region one after the other, the NPP leader said he wanted to draw the attention of the Centre towards the "genuine concerns and apprehensions" of the people of J&K as well which continued to be "disregarded and ignored".

"After fulfilling the demand of a vast majority of people of Ladakh for grant of Union Territory, the Centre had now announced to bring it within the ambit of 'Smart City' mission and to further give the region the status of 'Tribal area'," he said.

"And with ministries of Home, law and Tribal affairs having endorsed the proposal of Tribal area status, the Ladakh region had become entitled for its inclusion under sixth schedule of the constitution with all consequent benefits accruing to the region," he added.

Singh said the possibility of land sharks bullying the poor and un-influential land owners of the state could not be ruled out following the abrogation of the laws giving protection to local farmers.

The prospects of loss of employment opportunities is another very serious issue which is irking the minds of educated unemployed youth, he said adding "a scary situation was erupting in which the unemployed youth was getting restive and agitated with none to address their bonafide concerns and apprehensions".

He said with thousands of labourers and other workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states already settled in J&K especially in various parts of Jammu region, the concerns of the locals were "well founded".

"While the Centre wanted to protect the history, culture, lands and jobs of Ladakhis by virtue of the proposed enactment and amendment of sixth schedule, its apathy towards J&K was not only condemnable but culpable as well," he said.