Redefine jurisdiction of departments in new districts

The fallout and the trail of creating of eight districts, four each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions respectively in the year 2007 with reference to the problems faced by the people, appear to be no one’s concern in the administration. Who will redefine the jurisdiction of various departments, the proposal of which was prepared and submitted two years back and what are the reasons of apparent quietude over it, needs to be known. Even issues of much importance and sensitivity are not deliberated upon let alone taking any action on them. Like this approach, as of now, the move has created more problems than solving, contrary to what was tagged with creating of new districts.
Agreed that the jurisdiction of these districts was properly defined but what matters is that no attention was paid towards making divisions and sub divisions of several key developmental departments abutting with these administrative units. That would have helped things move about at micro levels in a lineated way and not allowed fringe areas virtually emerging as “no administrative land ” and made concerned population face hardships with no mechanism to redress their grievances and resolve their problems, defeating the very purpose of the exercise of creating of new districts .
Whether it be the issue of supplying of power by the Power Development Department or supplying of drinking water to the people of these areas, they continue to be under the administrative umbrella of the old arrangement which existed before creation of these districts . In other words, people having problems or any issues concerning them vis-a-vis these departments, they have to travel long distances and even at times only to be told that their area was not under their jurisdiction or control. The same is the case of other departments like Forests, Panchayats and Rural Development, Roads and Buildings, Irrigation and Flood Control where old jurisdiction and that too on probabilities exists which result in inconvenience of time, money and energy to the affected people.
It is learnt that vast population subjected to sufferings on the ambiguity and the non settlement of the jurisdiction of departments live in Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Jammu , Samba, Reasi, Udhampur and Kathua in Jammu division and the confusion prevailing since the year 2007 continues to be accentuating without any concern to the state authorities. The suffering people have been knocking at the doors of the authorities right from the year 2007 but it seems that no one in the administration is keen to make a breakthrough and initiate necessary steps in this direction. It is astonishing to observe that what is done or proposed to be done for ensuring quick decision taking processes for speedy development and the convenience of the people, in fact, most of them are made to suffer.
Not that the “word” has not reached where it should, and not that usual promises and assurances not having been made to resolve the impasse like formation of a group of Administrative Secretaries of all the key Departments to make a “comprehensive review” of the entire gamut of problems in order to streamline jurisdiction with administrative units etc, nothing of the sort, however, has been done so far. The people of these areas have now pinned their hopes in the “Governor’s Raj” to ameliorate their sufferings. We wish that to happen sooner than any later.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here