Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir cannot function with two power centers, Sports Minister Satish Sharma on Wednesday said that people are tired of the Union Territory arrangement and statehood must be restored at the earliest.
Speaking to news agency, Minister Sharma said public sentiment strongly favoured the return of statehood and added that the existing administrative structure has created governance challenges.
“Statehood restoration must happen soon. People are tired of the UT setup,” Sharma said, adding that Jammu and Kashmir required a unified administrative system to ensure efficient governance.
The minister said the present arrangement was unprecedented, noting that a full-fledged state had been converted into a Union Territory, which he described as a model that had not delivered expected results.
He exuded hope that the Prime Minister would fulfil the commitment regarding restoration of statehood in the near future.
Sharma asserted that Jammu and Kashmir could not operate with dual centres of authority and stressed that a single, accountable governance structure was necessary for political stability, economic growth and employment generation.
He said that restoration of statehood would strengthen democratic institutions, accelerate development initiatives and help address public aspirations across the region.