By IANS
Jammu : The Indian Army has vacated all the government buildings under its occupation in Jammu and Kashmir, Governor S.K. Sinha said in his address, as protests marked the opening day the budget session here Monday.
In his over-75 minutes address to the joint session of the state legislature, Sinha said the army had vacated all the government buildings – schools, hospitals and primary health centres – across the state. He, however, did not give the number of buildings vacated.
The governor added that the government would enhance the rent for the orchards and other civilian properties, which are currently occupied by the army and other security forces.
He made an impassioned plea to all parties to shun partisan politics. “The task of nation building stands much higher than the partisan politics,” the governor said.
Opposition parties staged protests within and outside the legislative complex.
While the National Conference legislators boycotted the joint session and staged a sit-in outside the assembly complex chanting anti-government slogans, the National Panthers Party, a former ally of Kashmir coalition government, held noisy protests during governor’s address.
Led by opposition leader Abdul Rahim Rather, National Conference legislators shouted: “Chor Sarkar Hai Hai” (down with the corrupt government) and sought its dismissal.
Rather told reporters that the government had “no moral right to continue in office for it had failed on all fronts.”
“Its human rights record is dismal and the common people are suffering. This government has cheated people and it must go,” Rather said.
Earlier, as soon as Governor S.K. Sinha entered the central hall of the legislative complex to address the last budget session of the coalition government, the Panthers Party legislator and former education minister, Harshdev Singh, started reading out the “list of failures of the government”.
Security guards in the complex tried to prevent him resulting in scuffle, which provoked all the four party lawmakers to protest. One of them was heard saying, “This is the display of the dictatorial attitude of the government.”