CB BureauIn a landmark announcement that can impact the entire outlook of the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with the backing of his entire cabinet, said that New Delhi would soon share its responsibilities with Srinagar in summers. Srinagar will function as the national capital in the summers’ from April to September. The centre claims that this is not a sudden decision and that the cabinet has been analysing the implications for quite some time.
Correspondingly, the city and the neighbouring areas will get a facelift as well — the line-up of civic accessories includes 4-5 multiplexes, several shopping malls, nearly a dozen private as well as government hospitals, branches of some renowned schools, and a new world-class sports complex with the highest cricket stadium just by the valley. Other than these, construction work to build an all-new central secretariat, a parliament house, and bungalows for MPs as also for the prime minister and other government officials is in full swing. Fresh carpeting of almost all roads is nearly complete.
Major multinational companies, banks and BPOs have already given their consent to open offices there, as the government is offering nearly 80 per cent subsidy on land and electricity, while all applicable taxes for them have been halved.
The government has made sure that no outsider will be engaged in this humongous development task. From labour to architects, to sub-contractors, all partakers have to be Kashmiris.
‘I see many fingers being raised at our decision. I am being compared to the king who started leather currency. My financial advisors are saying a huge amount of taxpayers’ money will go in building one city. However, when I compared the development expense to the money that has already been spent on Kashmir, I see it as an investment opportunity,’ declared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.’
‘Declaring Srinagar a national capital will bring back that lost confidence of our own Kashmiris. The new schools and colleges along with new sports complexes will keep the youth engaged in positive activities rather than pelting stones at security forces.
‘New Delhi’s infrastructure today matches that of any other major metro in the world. It ranks top in terms of job opportunities, medical facilities and other basic amenities that make it stand apart. All this is because it is the capital of the country.
‘Realizing that the developments would have been the same in any other city were it to be the national capital, we thought of moving the capital to Srinagar. The absolute cause of all the major problems in Kashmir is stagnant development at the grassroots level.
‘Srinagar anyway becomes the summer capital of J&K and the base of every important duty is then moved from Jammu to Srinagar. This time things will move from Delhi and Srinagar will become the proud capital of the entire country.
‘My security advisors raised the point that I might be putting the country at risk, as we would be in a vulnerable zone. All I have to say is that Pakistan and China have nukes that can easily reach New Delhi as well. But they have never fired as they know India, too, is equipped to retaliate. Now, if the capital will be near them, it will not change the realistic picture, but, in fact, will keep our intelligence more alert.
‘I want to be with my people who are in pain, and so does every member of parliament who had taken an oath to make our country a progressive nation. I want each member of my party to realize how it feels to live amid the sounds of firing guns, the screams of despair, and the slogans from rallies. The solution and the balm will have to be found there.’
NOTE: This never happened. This story was never carried by any newspaper or online publication. The text written above is entirely fictitious and a product of this writer’s imagination.
