'Perform or suffer': JK Governor's message to bureaucrats

"Perform or suffer" is the message of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik for the state's bureaucrats and he says he has been directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a "badhiya (wonderful) Kashmir" where corruption, inefficiency and sluggishness will not be tolerated.

During an interview with PTI recently, the governor had outlined many schemes for generation of employment in the state. These ideas include roping in private players.

"When I started for Kashmir, the prime minister told me to give the people of the state a 'badhiya Kashmir'. Acting on these directions, I created a corporation immediately after taking over. It borrowed Rs 8,000 crore from banks for (completing) all the pending projects within one year," he said while answering questions on development.

Asked whether private companies will be brought into the state, the governor said, "For that, we need to clear the perception about the Valley, especially Srinagar.

"There are teething problems, including land and labour, but above all this, there is another issue which bothers me a lot. For setting an industry in the state, it takes four years to get requisite clearances. A section of bureaucracy is sluggish and they will have to pull up their socks," he said, adding "it is clear that they have to perform or suffer".

The governor said, "The message to the bureaucracy is that corruption, inefficiency and sluggishness will not be tolerated as I am going to be very harsh with such people."