The people want their day to day problems resolved, decisions taken timely by the administration, an end to or at least containing of red tape-ism and above all holding high the rule of law. They are least bothered whether they are heard and their problems resolved under one government or the other, whether under Governor’s rule or under President’s rule. With the change of the occupant of the Raj Bhawan, under Governor Satya Pal Malik who assumed office on August 21, 2018, the State undoubtedly was witnessing a paradigm shift in the style of the functioning of the administration coupled with taking of much desired decisions which required impudent and spunk initiative, taking calculated risks with an aim to achieve results that went in favour of the common man.
We cannot repudiate the claims of the present administration under the Governor in creating as many as 42000 new jobs within a span of six months and when there have been not only apprehensions but cogent instances of malfeasance by certain officials in connivance with some political high ups in matters of providing Government jobs, it is learnt that even interviews for most of the posts have been done away with, to obfuscate the chances of irregularities taking place. Much needed reforms with intent to bring in more transparency in the functioning and accountability to the people through the state legislature by the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited without disturbing its professional autonomy and to accord it the due status of a PSU, has been welcome but certain political leaders have objected to it on hypothetical and unfounded grounds.
Those projects which though were made to appear to be started but saw nothing beyond the hype and the publicity indulged in by the ruling political class and the coterie and the sycophants were surveyed by the administration of the Governor and work on most of them started with proper monitoring. More developmental projects were in the offing including the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the foundation stone of which was shortly going to be laid by Prime Minister Modi. The most troubling affliction eroding public confidence in the system and eating into the vitals of the development and quality of development was corruption. Although a law existed to fight the menace of Benami property transactions wherein melted most of the ill gotten money, the Governor’s administration has addressed the issue and steps were being taken to award stringent punishment in the form of imprisonment as well as fine to the offenders.
Not only that retrieving Government, forest and Kah -Charai land from usurpers and encroachers most of whom are public servants, including Police Officers was ordered by the Governor’s administration but implementing the decisions on ground has been ensured too and so far Governments in power were, perhaps, looking to the other side. And this all, to quote the Governor, was being done as a result of his working well within the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir as also the Constitution of India and without encroachment on the rights of the politicians as “I respect the political parties”.
Rural development and cities’ civic conditions were requiring a breakthrough in terms of better administration and availability of funds, if the Governor decided and braved all threats, boycotts and impending hurdles to hold Local Bodies Elections and Panchayati elections without, to quote him “not hurting a bird,” why should his innovative decisions not be supported. This move deflated all the hype of the main regional political parties in respect of openly opposing such elections by giving a call of boycott under the alibis of Article 35 A and Article 370 whilst at the same time, taking part in the elections in Ladakh.
Addressing a press conference along with his Advisors, Governor Satya Pal Malik announced that panchayats would get Rs. 2500 crore and Urban Local Bodies Rs. 1500 crore worth grants. This much awaited requirements of the ULBs and Panchayats for developmental activities could not have been possible in the absence of holding of much overdue elections and if the political class including the PDP – BJP Coalition Government which though did not complete its term could take no initiative in this respect. The credit must all go to the sagacity and the vision of the Governor who took a dig at some politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen on the issue of corruption as the “life style of some of them who were in power was much better than Jehangir, (the Mughal King). Those who were indulging in corruption were defaming Kashmir.”
Looking to the other scenario prevalent in the State that of the existing obsolete procedures in matters of there being no system of preparation of seniority list of the employees like the Engineers beyond Assistant Executive Engineers and that even the Chief Engineers retiring as confirmed AEEs only, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam while making this sensational statement exposing the questionable personnel policies pursued in the State, has clarified that the Administrative Secretaries of PDD, PWD and PHE were told to set the things right. It is laughable but rue-able too, that in the entire State there was no confirmed Chief Engineer. Why should there be unnecessary controversies set rolling against the Governor and his administration so long as he was addressing even those issues left behind by the popular Governments, perhaps not all unwillingly. Is it the fear of losing credibility in the public that with this speed the job of the political leaders has been done which they could have taken years to come or they are indirectly trained to administer and govern in future on the lines drawn by the Governor?
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