Terming the frequent strike calls a thing of the past, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday said that businesses were flourishing in the Valley while educational institutions function normally now.
“Gone are the days when people (separatists, militants) would call for hartals (strikes) which resulted in closure of educational institutions in Kashmir. Today, 365 days of the year pass off peacefully with schools, colleges, universities functioning normally,” he said while addressing a gathering of students at prestigious Amar Singh College, here.
Unending hartal calls, sometimes for months together, and stone pelting incidents from 1990 to 2019 had affected most important sources of livelihood of the local populace, with many traders having to shift their trading centres from the Valley to other parts of the country and others forced to look for alternative sources of income to survive the economic crisis.
One of the best things that happened in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 sections is the restoration of administrative control.
L-G Sinha said people of Kashmir are reaping the benefits of peace. “One can see youth playing music at Jhelum river front and students enjoying reading as well,” he said and added without peace, development and progress wasn’t possible in J&K.
“Youth are the future of J&K and the country. We need your support to take forward J&K on all fronts,” Sinha said and added that J&K was part of the growing economy of India.