Last minute changes in Sonia's schedule

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, May 26: The preparations of government machinery viz INC president and UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi’s scheduled visit to Kashmir valley seem to have gone cold following last minute changes in her programme.

According to reliable sources close to J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), Sonia has dropped the proposal of state government to lay foundation stone of a colony for Dal dwellers at Rakh Arath Bemina. Moreover, if sources are to be believed she will not be inaugurating Sangarmal shopping complex.

“Sonia Ji’s programme will be finalized in Delhi,” said a senior Congress leader.

The UPA chairperson is expected to arrive here on Saturday afternoon, May 29, 2010 after inaugurating Gujjar centre in Jammu. She is also expected to address a function organised by the Gujjar community.

Earlier, Sonia was scheduled to lay foundation stone at Rakh Arath Bemina and address a public meeting there. According to sources, in wake of Sonia Gandhi’s visit, J&KPCC had prepared over 2000 vehicles to ferry people to the venue for the public rally. However, after the change in Sonia’s programme, all preparations seem to have gone cold.

After inaugurating the tribal centre in J&K’s winter capital, Sonia will fly to Srinagar in the afternoon. Sources said after landing in Srinagar, the UPA chairperson will straight away drive to Sher-e Kashmir International Convocation Centre (SKICC) here, where she is expected to hold deliberations with chief minister, Omar Abdullah, on development scenario in the state. She will also review the progress of preparations for Prime Minister’s scheduled visit to the state next month.

Moreover, at SKICC, Sonia will also hold talks with J&KPCC leaders to end the intensifying feuds within the party.

Sources said that Dal lake will be the main focus of Sonia’s visit. She will see for herself the condition of Dal lake, pollution level of which had her worried during her last visit to the Valley in October 2009.

New Delhi has been quite liberal in Dal cleaning project. The state government has so far received Rs 365 crore for the project on the intervention of Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh.

The Congress president, sources said, will not be visiting Rakh Arath; instead, she will hand over papers of the plots (at Rakh Arath) to Dal dwellers at a function at SKICC.

The colony inauguration by Sonia Gandhi had run into rough weather following reports that any type of construction was not feasible at Rakh Arath since it is basically a wetland.

The government machinery is facing severe hardships in completing the colony at Rakh Arath. Power Development department (PDD), Roads and Building (R&B) department, and Public Health Engineering (PHE) department have been working simultaneously day in and day out for the last two weeks to make the colony ready before May 29. The plots, which are supposed to be handed over to Dal dwellers, are inundated by flood waters, enough to cause embarrassment for the government before UPA chairperson.

Pertinently, if that was not enough, the problems of state government compounded after a majority of Dal dwellers refused to accept the plots being given to them at Rakh Arath Bemina.

Talking to Kashmir Times, a delegation of Dal dwellers said, “We don’t want to be rehabilitated at a place where we can not build houses. It is like we are being evacuated from one Dal and pushed into another.”

Experts believe that Rakh Arath project would prove to be a disaster. They are of the opinion that construction of concrete structures is not technically viable at Rath Arath, covering thousands of kanals of wet land. However, government has not paid any heed to their pleas and has gone ahead with the project.