DDC chairpersons get Minister’s rank at par with Mayors & above MPs in protocol

Members stay at bottom in Warrant of Precedence

*Vice chairpersons now equal to Admn Secys

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 6: The Jammu and Kashmir Government today revised Warrant of Precedence in respect of District Development Council (DDC) chairpersons and vice chairpersons upgrading their status in protocol giving rank of Ministers at par with Mayors within their respective territorial jurisdictions to the chairpersons but kept the members at bottom along with District Magistrates, Head of Departments and chairpersons Block Development Councils (BDCs).
The chairpersons of DDCs have been given jump of seven ranks in the Warrant of Precedence from Serial No. 26 to 19-A while status of vice chairpersons has been upgraded from Serial No. 27 to 26. However, the DDC members who were seeking their protocol “just close to MLA” stayed at bottom of the table as was the case in protocol issued on March 8 when all DDC chairpersons, vice chairpersons and members had gone on agitation and threaten to resign en masse.
The new Warrant of Precedence was issued today by Hospitality & Protocol Department.
The chairpersons of District Development Councils have now been placed at par with Mayors within their respective territorial jurisdictions i.e. they will have rank of the Ministers and will figure above the Members of Parliament.
The chairpersons, numbering 20 in the Union Territory, have been major beneficiaries of the revision in the Warrant of Precedence by the Government. In the protocol list issued in March, they had been placed at Serial No. 26 along with Administrative Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners and IGPs even below Principal Secretaries to Government. Apart from Members of Parliament, the chairpersons now will be above in the rank from MLAs, Chief Secretaries, DGPs etc.
The DDC vice chairpersons were at Serial No. 27 in the Warrant of Precedence along with Vice Chancellors of Universities in the initial protocol list. However, they have got just one rank jump in the revised list of protocol and are now placed at Serial No. 26 along with Administrative Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners/IGPs and Chief Conservator of Forests within their respective jurisdictions.
Number of vice chairpersons of the District Development Councils is also 20 like the chairpersons.
However, the District Development Council members haven’t been elevated in the Warrant of Precedence as they stayed at bottom just like the original protocol list issued in the month of March.
The District Development Council members figured at Serial No. 28 along with District Magistrates, officers of the rank of Brigadiers and equivalent, major Head of Departments (HoDs), Conservator of Forests, District & Sessions Judges, chairpersons Block Development Councils (BDCs) and presidents of Municipal Councils.
There are a total of 280 District Development Council seats in Jammu and Kashmir-14 each in 20 districts of the Union Territory but two of them are vacant. Of 278 seats, there are 20 each chairpersons and vice chairpersons while rest 238 are members.
Soon after the Warrant of Precedence in respect of District Development Council chairpersons, vice chairpersons and members was issued on March 8, all of them irrespective of their party affiliations had gone on protest and refused to attend Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s address to them the next day organized by the Rural Development Department after which Sinha didn’t attend the function.
All of them held massive protests and threatened to submit en masse resignations as the District Development Council members if their protocol was not upgraded. They had demanded rank of the Ministers for chairpersons and vice chairpersons and next to MLAs for the DDC members.
Following en masse resignation threat, BJP president Ravinder Raina had intervened after which the Lieutenant Governor met a delegation of 12 chairpersons, vice chairpersons and members of the District Development Councils and assured them that the Warrant of Precedence will be revised shortly.
Among 20 District Development Councils in the Union Territory, there are 10 each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions.
Of 10 Councils in Jammu region, the BJP had won chairpersonship of six including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Doda and Reasi followed by National Conference three—Rajouri, Kishtwar and Ramban while Independent is chairperson of Poonch district.
First-ever election for the District Development Councils, which constitute third tier of the Panchayati Raj System in Jammu and Kashmir, was held in November-December last year.