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Jammu and Kashmir Congress delegation met with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha on Saturday, pressing their demand for the restoration of statehood, while expressing concern over the LPG crisis and other issues in the Union Territory. The delegation, headed by Jammu and Kashmir Congress working president Raman Bhalla, called on the LG at the Raj Bhawan.

 

Congress leaders raised a range of issues affecting different sections of society, including restoration of statehood, the ongoing LPG shortage, a comprehensive package for the refugees of 1947, 1965, and 1971, and the grant of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to them.

 

"We have raised the issue of restoration of statehood at the earliest, besides the issue of the LPG shortage," Bhalla told the media, adding that the party delegation referred to a comprehensive rehabilitation package for refugee families recommended by the Congress-NC government in 2014 on former prime minister Manmohan Singh's directions. The package had envisaged Rs 30 lakh per family, along with other components.

 

However, they said only an amount of Rs 5.5 lakh per family was sanctioned, and that too has not been disbursed to all the eligible families so far.

 

Seeking full implementation of the package and ST status for refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Congress leaders also urged the Union Territory administration to provide an additional LPG quota for the region in view of the tourist influx and pilgrimages.

 

They expressed concern over rising crime and drug abuse in Jammu and demanded enhanced recruitment and deployment of security personnel to curb these activities.

 

They also sought relief and rehabilitation for flood-affected families, allocation of funds to the urban development department, and concrete measures for the welfare of the Kashmiri migrant community.

 

The grand old party then raised the issue of regularisation of daily wagers and other temporary and contractual employees across government departments, while demanding a special package and dedicated funds to address their long-pending demands.