Huge improvement in ground situation in Kashmir Valley: Governor Malik

There is a huge improvement in the ground situation in Kashmir Valley and people coming out to vote in the recent civic polls in a peaceful atmosphere is a positive sign, Governor Satya Pal Malik said here Sunday.

"We are trying a lot to improve the situation at the ground level and as you can see, there is a huge improvement," the Jammu and Kashmir Governor told reporters after addressing a Police Commemoration Day function at Zewan on the outskirts of the city.

The governor said the local body polls were conducted in a peaceful manner and congratulated the police and civil administrations and the people of the state.

"The turnout has been such (low) many times before and I do not want to take such a controversial question this time and I only want to say that the polls were peaceful and for that police, administration and other forces as well as people (deserve credit).

"Without people it was not possible. If they had come out on roads and indulged in violence, then it would not have been possible. I am thankful that this election was conducted without any loss of life or damage to property," he said, when asked the low turnout in the elections.

Asserting that the situation in the valley was extraordinary and polls in the past have seen high as well as low turnouts, the governor said there were, however, no reports of rigging in these polls.

"I want to congratulate you (police) and I also have been congratulated by Delhi for the peaceful conduct of the polls. The situation here is extraordinary. Sometimes there has been a good turnout and sometimes not, but I have received congratulations from everyone in Delhi and have been told to congratulate the forces as well as the people for the peaceful polls. There have been no reports of any complaints about rigging in these polls," he said.

Malik said people coming out to vote was a positive sign.

"In the last phase, around 10,000 people came out to vote in Srinagar. There was stone pelting on them and in turn those who voted also pelted stones, so police had to save the stone pelters. Some developments are taking place slowly and people are understanding those, but this is not an occasion to talk about them," he said, without elaborating.

He refused to say anything on the independent candidates winning polls at most places.

The governor said the government would provide maximum monetary assistance to the new civic bodies and panchayats.

"Who becomes the mayor or not, is not our aim. We will give a maximum amount of money from the Centre or the state for the panchayats and municipalities and try to prove the point that these elections were for the people," he said.