Srinagar: Taking lead Peoples Conference led by Sajad Gani Lone today announced the launch of an extensive, large-scale door-to-door signature campaign to press for the immediate closure of the Achan garbage dumping site in Srinagar.
On the directions of Chairman Lone, party spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu and District President Syed Owais Qadri held a marathon of meetings with senior party activists and leaders from Srinagar and public delegations from Shaher-e-Khaas, a party statement said.
Mattu said that PC will depute teams across Shaher-e-Khaas to collect signatures on a petition that will be then filed in the High Court, and if need be even in the Supreme Court.
Stating that both NC and PDP, during their successive tenures chose to offer little more than lip-service on the closure of Achan, Mattu said that PDP had its own Urban Development Minister in the previous government. PDPs Urban Development Minister had promised in 2007 the identification and operation of three more landfill sites that would take 25 percent of the citys garbage load individually, amounting to an aggregate of 75 percent, thereby relieving Achan and paving way for its closure, he said.
As with most of the political promises made by either party, this promise by PDPs Urban Development Minister too proved to be hollow. Why didnt PDP pass official instructions to close Achen when they had their own Urban Development Minister and more importantly their own Chief Minister? Why the melodrama on the roads now? he asked.
Mattu claimed that NC had been promising the closure of Achan for more than a decade now but continues to patronize its continuation for reasons best known to the party. There are allegations that certain NC leaders had purchased huge tracts of land near the Achan dumping site and this could have something to do with the governments reluctance to explore a scientific resolution of the Achan site. Such allegations should be thoroughly probed and NC should be held accountable for its callous and anti-people policies, he said.
Syed Owais Qadri said that this will be the first of its kind public initiative taken in Srinagar and will pit the people of this historic city against an arrogant, callous and insensitive government. People in Saidapora, Zoonimar, Nowshehra, Eidgah, Wanganpur, Noorbagh, Soura, Palpura, Hawal and Badamwari are literally suffocating in the stench emanating from Achan while the government and all its concerned departments are either so incompetent or so sadistic, that they continue to be unmoved by this crisis.
The stench from Achen can be felt as far as Zakura, Buchpora, HMT and Karan Nagar. Now, the people of Srinagar under this signature campaign, will come together and unite in a common mission to shut Achen. We appeal to volunteers and activists from Shaher-e-Khaas to come together and help PC to resolve this crisis despite their political differences or affiliations, he added.
Mattu said that Qadri, and District Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Dar will supervise the signature campaign and will be assisted by the concerned Zonal Heads from Shaher-e-Khaas, backed by a well-organized team at the PC Central Office that will constantly document the signatures and post the status of the campaign online. People will also have an option of submitting their signatures on the online address, which will be announced shortly.
He said that four teams will be organized, each for Eidgah, Zadibal, Hazratbal and Batamaloo and sent out door-to-door to apprise the people in their area of this initiative and collect their signatures. The Eidgah team will be headed by PC Zonal President Bilal Sofi, the Zadibal team by District Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Dar, the Batamaloo team by Zonal President Muzaffar Matta and the Hazratbal team by Zonal President Zulfikar Ahmed.
On this occasion Qadri also announced the launch of PC Block Office Zadibal and congratulated PC Zadibal Block activists and workers while imploring them to work day and night to highlight and address the grievances of the people.
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