Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 3: Jammu Province Bachao Manch (JBM) has submitted a detailed set of recommendations to the elected Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, urging them to raise pressing issues of the Jammu province during the ongoing Assembly Session 2026.
In a statement issued today during media briefing, JBM chairman and former legislator Ashok Kumar Sharma said that while the return to popular governance is a welcome step, it remains incomplete without addressing long-pending developmental, constitutional and socio-economic concerns of Jammu. He cautioned against sidelining the aspirations of the province in legislative deliberations.
The Manch called for the passage of a resolution seeking immediate restoration of Statehood along with job and land guarantees for permanent residents of J&K to safeguard local identity and economy. It also demanded a time-bound roadmap for the regularization of daily wagers and creation of sustainable employment opportunities for educated youth.
Expressing serious concern over the education sector, JBM highlighted that 20 of the 21 Dogri Lecturer posts are lying vacant and demanded that Dogri be made a compulsory subject to preserve the linguistic heritage of the Duggar region. The organization also raised issues of unscheduled power cuts despite the installation of smart meters, inadequate drinking water supply and weak grassroots healthcare.
JBM further flagged the worsening drug menace, particularly the spread of ‘chitta’ among youth, seeking a war-footing response. On the environmental front, it demanded strict action against illegal green felling and accountability within the Forest Department.
Other key demands included allotment of 5-marla land to border dwellers, completion of safety bunkers, ownership rights for long-standing custodian landholders, transparency in land and flat allotments to outsiders, fast-tracking of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and adequate compensation for recent flood victims, stating that current relief is insufficient.
Prominent among those who were present include Gharu Ram Choudhary (ex-minister), Retired Principle & Session Judge, KYS Manhas; O P Sharma, veteran journalist; Advocate PL Sharma, Retired Additional Secretary Law and Satish Punchi, vice-president JBM.
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