Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 19: Ahead of Assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir, All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today demanded that all political parties should include issues of 45,000 elected Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Body (ULBs) representatives in their manifesto.
The Panchayat Conference today held its Executive body meeting and discussed the problems and concerns of the elected Panchayat representatives in Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory.
Conference has decided to submit a charter of demands to all the political parties listing their main issues.
Addressing a press conference, AJKPC president Anil Sharma said that they have started the interaction with the political parties with the first submission of the memorandum to former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ex- MLA Nagrota Devender Singh Rana.
“It is the long desired demand of the people of J&K in general and grassroots level elected representatives in particular that the 73rd and 74th Amendments of Indian Constitution are extended and implemented in J&K in letter and spirit for complete empowerment of Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). It will help the government to build a trust among masses and in turn, restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir”, Sharma said.
He said that on the pattern of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for elected MLAs and MPLAD funds for Members of Parliament, all Panchayats and Urban Local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir should be given Rs 25 lakhs per annum as Panchayat Development Fund (PDF) and Corporator Development Fund (CDF) to carry out development activities at Panchayat and Urban Local body’s level.
“Implementation of 73 and 74 Amendments with all provisions in J&k(UT). Constitute separate Finance Commission for grass-root level democracy in J&K”. Sharma demanded.
Other points raised in the memorandum which will be submitted to all the mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir include, constitution of “District Planning and Development Board”.
Sharma said that Panchayats can generate revenue from natural resources available in our UT, so that our Panchayat s gets benefitted , these revenue can be utilised for development of their Panchayat halqas eve with these available resources we will not be dependent of govt for allocation of funds either from J&K UT Govt and central government.
He claimed that frustrated with our efforts, terrorists brutally killed our 25 Sarpanches and are issuing regular life threats to top AJKPC leaders.
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