Various delegations meet Azad at his Jammu residence: Cong

Various delegations including traders, transporters and border residents met senior Congress leader and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who reached here on Tuesday on the second-leg of his six-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir, a party spokesman said.

Azad met a number of delegations and discussed the difficulties faced by the people due to the current situation after the scrapping of special status to the state and its bifurcation into two Union Territories, he said.

"Soon after his arrival, he started meeting with people who called on him in the shape of delegations at his Gandhi Nagar residence. They apprised him of the problems being faced by them, especially in the wake of restrictions and the situation that emerged in the state after August 5," the spokesman said.

He said the delegations which met Azad include traders, transporters, taxi unions, drivers, border residents of R S Pura, Samba, Hiranagar, Chhamb and Rajouri, Kishtwar and Ramban, university students, Christian community, OBCs, SCs, STs, farmers, Balwara community, Lubana Sikh community besides several other social and religious groups.

"Majority of them apprised Azad of the economic difficulties due to worst affected business," the spokesman said, adding the traders highlighted that the tourism activities in the state have been affected.

The residence of border areas expressed their difficulties due to spurt in tension on the borders following frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan, he said.

The university students took up their issue regarding insecurity of jobs, he added.

Azad is likely to visit hospitals, traders of Raghunath Bazar, Purani Mandi, Residency Road, and others areas of the city to know about the difficulties people are facing in the prevailing situation in the state, the spokesman said.

Earlier, Azad, after arriving from Srinagar, said the situation in the Valley is "very bad".

When asked by reporters as to what was his assessment of the situation in Kashmir, Azad replied, "It is very bad."