JammuOpposition National Conference and Congress on Thursday staged a walkout from state Legislative Assembly over discrimination against their constituencies in macadamisation and other road works.
Responding to a question by National Conference member Mubarak Gul, Minister of State for PWD Sunil Sharma gave details of the roads macadamised in Srinagar district in the last two years.
Subsequently, National Conference member Shamima Firdous raised the issue of discrimination in her constituency Habbakadal, comparing the tarring and paving of roads to other constituencies represented by members of the ruling parties.
Walking into the well of the House in protest, Shamima said only eight kilometers of road had been macadamised in two years in her constituency and sought a reply from the government.
Partys senior leader Ali Mohammed Sagar, Altaf Kaloo and Mubarak Gul, Congress G M Saroori and Independent MLA Hakeem Yaseen and others also raised the same issue and staged protest.
Roads in constituencies belonging to NC members have not been macadamised. If you discriminate like this on road macadamisation, what will be the fate of other projects? Sagar asked.
NCs Altaf Kaloo also asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who was in the House, to reply and intervene to end the discrimination.
Hakeem Yaseen said the state government took lists of roads from members but took no action after that.
PWD Minister Naeem Akhtar attempted to pacify them by giving a reply to supplementary questions on alleged discrimination.
He said Public Works Department (PWD) has macadamized around 1000 KM road length in district Srinagar during the past three years.
Giving constituency-wise details, the Minister said that in Khanyar constituency a road length of 56 KMs has been macadamized out of the total road length of 62 KMs being maintained by the R&B Department in the constituency.
In Habbakadal constituency, he said, a road length of 24 KMs was macadamized against a total road length of 28 KMs maintained by the R&B Department.
In Zadibal constituency, he said 77 KM road length has been macadamized against a total road length of 196 KMs maintained by the R&B Department.
In Eidgah constituency a road length of 46 KMs was macadamized against a total road length of 89 KMs maintained by the R&B Department, he said and added that in Sonwar constituency 151 KM road length has been macadamized out of the total road length of 263 KMs maintained by the R&B Department.
In Hazratbal constituency, the Minister said that a road length of 193 KMs was macadamized against a total road length of 349 KMs maintained by the R&B Department.
In Batamaloo constituency, a road length of 165 KMs has been macadamized against a total road length 389 KMs maintained by the R&B Department, Akhtar said and added that in Amirakadal constituency a road length of 279 KMs was macadamized against a total length of 584 KMs maintained by the R&B Department.
There were noisy scenes, disrupting Question Hour briefly with the entire Opposition walking out of the House. Among others, Omar Abdullah, the former Chief Minister, also staged a walk out. (GNS)
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