Excelsior Correspondent
BASANTGARH, Oct 18: Lambasting the Central Govt for failing to extend all provisions of 73rd Amendment of the constitution to the State prior to holding of BDC polls, NPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh toay said that it was yet another treachery played with the people of the state by the BJP led Govt.
He said that holding of said polls under J&K Panchayati Raj Act ran counter to the intentions of the Govt expressed through abrogation of Art 370 and defeated the very objective of making Panchayati Raj system identical with the rest of the country.
Addressing public meetings at villages Mang, Punara and Khaned in Dudu-Basantgarh Block of Ramnagar constituency, Singh said 73rd Amendment provided for direct elections of chairmen of BDCs as opposed to indirect elections being held in the state of J&K through Sarpanches and Panches. He said that the BJP did not find it politically expedient to follow the modus operandi as prescribed in 73rd Amendment and therefore, opted for J&K Panchayati Raj model which it considered more suitable in terms of its political prospects.
He further regretted the non-constitution of a separate Election Commission at state level for PRIs as per the provisions of the Central law. Likewise, the constitution of Finance Commission as per the mandate of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment had also not found favour with the Govt which wanted the Panchayats to remain dependent upon it for their financial requirements.
Strongly condemning the Govt for non-Clearance of claims of the Panchayats as incurred during the past three years, Singh disclosed that unpaid liabilities in the state amounted to over Rs 1000 crore for the said period under MGNREGA alone. He said that the Govt was making haughty claims in the media regarding huge funding of Panchayats without bothering to have an assessment of ground situation.
He regretted that non appointment of ombudsmen in the state had given an open field to the corrupt mafia indulging in massive loot and plunder in rural development sector with the govt failing to check leakages and pilferages in its functioning.
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