MLAs swamped with public grievances after 6-yr hiatus

After a six-year gap, elected legislators have returned to Jammu and Kashmir, and the public is once again knocking on the doors of MLAs, hoping to have their issues addressed. The newly elected lawmakers report a surge in people reaching out with grievances.

Nizamuddin Bhat, Congress MLA from Bandipore, said people are coming to them “as if they were suffocated for all these years.”

Bhat noted that people have high expectations, often bringing individual issues, with unemployment being a significant concern. “Not only the general public but even government officials are approaching us with problems like delayed promotions and transfers,” he added.

Sheikh Khursheed, Langate MLA and brother of jailed MP Engineer Rashid, highlighted the high expectations constituents have for their representatives. He shared that he and his PRO receive hundreds of calls daily, and many visit his residence with issues. “With MLAs in place, people believe we can raise their concerns with the authorities,” he said. Among problems brought to him are those related to reservation, unemployment and verification.

Khursheed recounted the case of a teacher dismissed without an inquiry. “A teacher who has a family to feed was dismissed from a government job and wasn’t given a chance to narrate his side of the story. So people are approaching us with such problems,” he said.

Shopian MLA Shabir Ahmad Kullay observed that there had been a “gap between bureaucracy and the public,” but elected representatives can now meet people daily, listen to their grievances, and advocate for them. Ahmad pointed out that high electricity tariffs are a pressing issue in his constituency. “People come to us early in the morning, and I’m busy till late at night hearing their problems,” he shared. “They want us to listen and be their voice — something that was missing in recent years.”

In recent days, these MLAs have been holding review meetings with the civil administration and visiting their constituencies. NC MLA Mehar Ali remarked that it seems as if a grievance redressal system had not existed for the past six years. He cited issues with electricity and alleged harassment of people living in forest areas. “Problems accumulated over six to seven years won’t be solved overnight, but the government is committed to resolving them,” he assured.

However, in their efforts to connect with the public, some first-time MLAs are encountering challenges with procedural rules. Mehar Ali, for example, visited a health facility in his Kangan constituency and, after identifying deficiencies, mistakenly issued an order under his name to withhold salaries for three medical officers. He later retracted the order, realising that lawmakers do not have the authority to issue such directives.

With the new government in place, some MLAs feel that officials have yet to fully adjust to a system where they must respond to elected representatives. Bhat from Bandipore noted, “Officials are still not accustomed to listening to public representatives, and this may irritate them.”