Srinagar, 10 July (H.S.): Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Friday warned the ruling National Conference government not to sabotage development in Kashmir under garb of statehood.Travel Guides & Travelogues

He alleged that development works across Kashmir have come to a standstill.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Bukhari claimed that the condition of roads, hospitals and other public infrastructure reflected what he described as a complete halt in developmental activities.

He alleged that more than half of the working season in Kashmir had already passed without significant progress on projects.

The working season in Kashmir is from April to the end of September, and over 50 per cent of it has already lapsed. Hardly any work is taking place. I think the development of Kashmir has been halted under a conspiracy, Bukhari said.

He alleged that local contractors were facing severe hardships due to delays in payments, scarcity of construction material and what he termed discriminatory policies in the allotment of mining resources. According to Bukhari, sand, boulders and other raw materials were being leased to outside contractors, forcing local contractors to purchase them at substantially higher prices.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar