Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said he had no plans to live for good in the Union Territory (UT) but “will leave behind exemplary work which will be remembered for a long time”.
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“There are people who say the L-G will have to leave. Yes, I did not intend to live in J&K. But I will leave behind peace, prosperity, development and economic stability,” he said, at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.
This follows a remark by former Chief Minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah who had said that “The L-G has come and will leave J&K one day” while highlighting the sacrifices made by his party and its leaders since militancy broke out in J&K in the 1990s.
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Responding to criticism by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on the government providing land and homes to outsiders in J&K, Mr. Sinha said, “Certain individuals misguided people on the PMAY-G scheme which provides homes for the homeless and land to the landless, because they can’t accept the prosperity of J&K. Let their pain grow day by day.”
He said state land used to be grabbed by those close to the one’s in power. “This practice ended on August 05, 2019,” Mr. Sinha said.
He said the 30 years of conflict in Kashmir produced a few profiteers, who sent their children abroad to study and left poor kids to die on roads. “The shops of these conflict profiteers were closed on August 5, 2019 forever,” he added,
The L-G said there is a need to provide a better environment to youth instead of inciting them. “People of the U.T. were made to remain cocooned in dreams. Innocent blood was spilled in J&K. I will resolve people’s issues and till then I will not leave J&K,” he said.
The L-G said Local Bodies elections will be held on time in J&K.