Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 25: All Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today termed the decision of Governor N N Vohra as a step in right direction to return the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, to the State Government for further clarification.
The AJKPC, which is the frontline organisation of elected Sarpanchs and Panchs in J&K, also requested the ruling PDP-BJP Coalition Government to avail the opportunity and drop the Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill in the larger interest of the people of the State. The Bill was passed by both Houses of State Legislature in the recent Budget Session.
“We express gratitude to the Governor who has acceded to our demand and returned the flawed ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2016’ to the Government for clarification. The decision will go a long way in addressing the genuine concerns expressed by the Panchayat members in particular and general masses in general,” Anil Sharma, State president AJKPC said in a statement issued here today.
He said it was crystal clear that the Government’s move to bring flawed amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act was aimed at centralizing the powers instead of decentralizing them. “The Governor has also endorsed our viewpoint as he has mentioned in his official statement that certain issues of vital importance to the decentralised democratic framework are involved in the Government decision,” Sharma added.
He requested the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh to drop the Bill after it has been sent back by the Governor for clarification. He said the State Govt should not make it a prestige point. The indirect election of Sarpanchs could never be beneficial for the grassroots level democracy,” the AJKPC leader said.
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