“There will not be any compromise in dealing with illegal crushers, illegal mining, illegal land encroachers and drug peddlers”, stated Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh in Kathua, Jammu today.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said,  anybody linked with illegal crushers, unauthorised mining or  land encroachment will not be spared , no matter how influential he thinks of himself or whatever public clout he thinks he enjoys.

The Minister said, Nobody has a right to indulge in illegal mining and erode the foundations of our precious bridges like Keediyan Gandyal. Similarly, nobody has the right to earn ill-gotten wealth by turning others’ children into drug addicts because tomorrow his own children may also fall  prey to such addiction, he said.

Dr. Jitendra Singh was speaking after holding nearly a three-hour public durbar, during which the Minister heard various citizens’ delegations with an objective to ensure on-the-spot resolution of their grievances and demands with the Deputy Commissioner and other senior officials of the administration.

The Minister stated that Illegal mining and drug abuse is a vicious cycle which facilitates terrorism and other social evils. “Exemplary and punitive action will be held out  against those indulging in these crimes, irrespective of their political affiliations or so-called influence”, he warned. The Minister informed that the local administration has acted against 25 illegal crushers, and a fresh list of nearly a dozen of such crushers is being prepared to take strict action against them as per the law.

The Union Minister assured that all possible steps are being taken to deal with rising terror incidents in order to restore people’s confidence and public order. He stated that these steps will bear fruit soon, and normalcy will return to within a week.

While warning the local terror facilitators of stern action, Dr. Jitendra Singh urged the society to remain vigilant and join the government’ efforts to deal with the menace of terrorism in the region. He said the VDCs are being strengthened to fight terrorists.

Dr. Jitendra Singh flagged the increasing incidents of cattle smuggling in the area, vowing to deal with the crime with an iron hand. The Union Minister rued that the drug menace has spread its tentacles from Punjab to Katra, bringing infamy to the holy city. He urged the local citizens to wean away their wards from the menace in order to secure their future. The Union Minister also drew attention to the problem of land encroachment, and warned that no one will be spared if found guilty of the crime.

The Union Minister stated that the journey of development undertaken by the Modi government has transformed the landscape of the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Parliamentary constituency in the last ten years. “Milestones of development can be seen at every two kilometers of the constituency”, he said. Dr. Singh recalled that North India’s first bio-tech park, a seed processing plant, over a dozen bridges, including the iconic Atal Setu, have come up in this constituency. The Union Minister said the last decade of the Modi government was dedicated to overcoming shortcomings of the previous regimes. “Now, the government is focused on consolidating the gains of the past decade in its fresh term”, The Union Minister pledged. 

*****

PK/PSM