JAMMU LINKS NEWS | Claiming that the Chenab Valley had been discriminated against by successive governments, PDP MLC Firdous Tak today demanded that a separate administrative division be created for the mountainous region to overcome the development deficit.

Like the National Conference and Congress, the BJP also betrayed the mandate of Chenab Valley comprising of Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts,' he said.

The interests of the region and its people have been sacrificed by the elected representatives, plunging the region further into poverty and backwardness, Tak said at a day-long party convention in Kishtwar's Paddar area.

The development of far-off and backward areas is not possible in the present administrative structure, he claimed, as the divisional administration operating from Jammu city could not reach these inaccessible areas.

A new structure has to be devised where sub-regions shall be the new administrative units for overall development of the state, he said.

Tak said the Chenab region is one of the major contributors to the state revenue but it received very little in return.

The state gets hundreds of crores as water cess from NHPC besides 2 per cent royalty on the power generation. The timber extracted from the region (Chenab Valley) is sold in the entire region fetching crores to the state exchequer, he said..