Srinagar, Sept. 7 -- One of Srinagar's ambitious marketplaces once made Tara Chand, then deputy chief minister in Omar Abdullah's first government, jealous enough to seek a similar facility for Jammu.

The marketplace he admired eventually became a ghost town.

Now Sangarmal has returned to public attention through a Rs.421.75-crore land deal that has set off intense debate, particularly on social media.

The criticism is understandable. A public asset of this value calls for close scrutiny, especially when the reserve price, bidding process and eventual commercial returns are being discussed so openly.

But the debate should also move beyond the identities of the bidders and ask a more fundamental question: what is government supposed to...