Srinagar candidates focus on jobs, growth and flood rehab measures

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 3

Political parties are focusing on eight seats in Srinagar on the issues of development, employment generation and rehabilitation of the flood-hit.

Electioneering is yet to peak in the eight segments with record of low voter turnout. Polling in the constituencies will be held in the fourth phase on December 14.

The National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have promised to make Srinagar a smart city.

The old city has witnessed slow economic and infrastructural development amid widespread complaints by residents that the area has been ignored by successive governments.

Dozens of neighbourhoods faced siege due to curfew and restrictions during the last six years. Contestants and other leaders of the NC and the PDP have accused each other of neglecting the city.

Ali Mohammad Sagar of the NC recently accused the PDP of having “nefarious designs” towards Srinagar. The three-time Khanyar legislator vowed to keep Srinagar at the heart of “development and prosperity”.

Earlier this week, he claimed that his party had transformed the old city into a “showcase of cultural centrality and historicity” and demonstrated a “spirit of modernity and state-of-the-art infrastructure”.

In its manifesto, the PDP promised to develop Srinagar and vowed to launch development initiatives like “declaring the downtown as heritage zone”.

Altaf Bukhari, PDP candidate from Amira Kadal, accused the NC of betraying the 2008 mandate after its candidates won all eights seats.

He said the low voter turnout in the city reflected an expression of sense of powerlessness due to “misgovernance and political ineptitude”.

Srinagar had recorded low voter turnout in previous elections. The BJP and the Congress promised to develop Srinagar into a smart and modern city.

The BJP said there would be special emphasis on improvement of civic amenities. The Congress said it would work to make the city economically and environmentally sustainable.

The September deluge had affected at least six constituencies and left widespread devastation to both residential and commercial infrastructure in three constituencies.

The rehabilitation of flood victims, many of whom had been rendered homeless, was emerging as the focus of electioneering. All major players vowed to work for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Another important issue that had been emerging was the promise of generation of jobs as unemployment was rampant in the eight constituencies.