Coalition gets an ‘average’ score

Ehsan Fazili & Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Srinagar/Jammu, August 31

On completion of its six months in office, the first-ever PDP-BJP coalition regime is yet to draw appreciation from a cross-section of society in Jammu and Kashmir. There were a lot of expectations from the new government but it is yet to make a significant impact on the ground.

The government performance has been rated as “average” by the civil society in Jammu, while the people in Kashmir are also not too optimistic about the coalition.

Jan Mohammad Koul, president of the Kashmir Traders Federation and vice-chairman of the Kashmir Economic Alliance, says: “It has been a difficult period for the business community after the floods last year. Since the government has taken over, there has been no accountability in the administration and no check on corrupt practices.”

“We have not got what was expected from Mufti,” Sikh leader Jagmohan Singh Raina says, adding that there were many hopes which had been belied. In Jammu, noted historian and senior BJP leader Hari Om says:“The Agenda of the Alliance has not been drafted as per the wishes and aspirations of the people.”

Professor Zahoor-Ud-Din, a noted academician, remarks: “There is no government on the ground. The sky-rocketing prices of commodities of daily use have made the lives of people miserable.”