J&K Budget Session 2026: MLAs Highlight Urgent Public Grievances During Zero Hour

JAMMU, MARCH 31: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session 2026 witnessed a proactive Zero Hour today, as lawmakers across party lines flagged critical deficiencies in infrastructure, healthcare, and administration.

Legislators focused heavily on the human resource crisis in essential sectors, with MLA Shagun Parihar and MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para demanding the immediate appointment of specialists, including radiologists and anaesthetists, at District Hospitals in Kishtwar and Pulwama.

Education also took center stage as MLA Dr. Shafi Ahmad Wani and MLA Javaid Riyaz Bedar highlighted a crippling shortage of Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and school principals, while MLA Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Mir pushed for the resumption of stalled construction at Government Degree College Rajpora.

The session further addressed pressing economic and utility concerns affecting the common man. MLA Tariq Hamid Karra and MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone raised the alarm over inflated electricity bills and called for an extension of the Power Amnesty Scheme to shield consumers from disconnections.

Significant administrative gaps were noted by MLA Zaffar Ali Khatana regarding vacant SDM posts, while MLA Muzaffer Iqbal Khan and MLA Arjun Singh Raju advocated for better disaster rehabilitation and improved road connectivity for SRTC bus operations.

From MLA Javaid Iqbal’s call for an inquiry into mysterious deaths in Rajouri to MLA Satish Sharma’s demand for better fire safety infrastructure, the session underscored a collective legislative push for the government to bridge the gap between policy and grassroots service delivery across the Union Territory.