'Perform or suffer': Jammu and Kashmir governor's message to bureaucrats

SRINAGAR: "Perform or suffer" is the message of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik for the state's bureaucrats and he says he has been directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a "badhiya (wonderful) Kashmir" where corruption, inefficiency and sluggishness will not be tolerated. During an interview with recently, the

governor

had outlined many schemes for generation of employment in the state. These ideas include roping in private players.

"When I started for Kashmir, the prime minister told me to give the people of the state a 'badhiya Kashmir'. Acting on these directions, I created a corporation immediately after taking over. It borrowed Rs 8,000 crore from banks for (completing) all the pending projects within one year," he said while answering questions on development.

Asked whether private companies will be brought into the state, the governor said, "For that, we need to clear the perception about the Valley, especially Srinagar.

"There are teething problems, including land and labour, but above all this, there is another issue which bothers me a lot. For setting an industry in the state, it takes four years to get requisite clearances. A section of bureaucracy is sluggish and they will have to pull up their socks," he said, adding "it is clear that they have to perform or suffer".

The governor said, "The message to the bureaucracy is that corruption, inefficiency and sluggishness will not be tolerated as I am going to be very harsh with such people."

Besides this, officers from the Kashmir Administrative Services and other state services will have to furnish their property details, which will be made available online like in the case of All India Services officers.

The governor said he has initiated a programme under which he would host an investment summit in Jammu and it may be followed later in Srinagar.

"We need to revive tourism because its revival will help other sector such as handlooms, handicraft etc," he said.

The governor said that his priorities included the cleaning of the Dal Lake and to ensure that 2014-like floods do not reoccur.

"I have been made to understand that the Wullur Lake is full of weeds and because of it, no water from the Jehlum flows into it. So, we will soon start an ambitious project of cleaning the lake first so that Srinagar is saved from floods in the future.

"Besides this, I have directed that the Dal Lake should be cleaned in next six months and its area should be clearly demarcated. I am sure I will be able to do this," the governor said.