Presidents of MC, Municipalities at par with DMs, HoDs
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 22: Notwithstanding that four Advisors to Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu enjoyed the rank of Ministers, they didn’t figure anywhere in the Warrant of Precedence issued today by the Jammu and Kashmir Government which was second in last about seven months and upgraded the status of Presidents of Municipal Councils and Municipalities at par with Chairpersons of Block Development Councils (BDCs) who are equal to District Magistrates, Head of Departments, Brigadiers etc.
The Warrant of Precedence of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir issued today by the Hospitality and Protocol Department by the order of the Lieutenant Governor has no mention of four Advisors to the Governor as to where they stand in the protocol.
The four Advisors—Kewal Kumar Sharma, Farooq Khan, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar and Baseer Khan—enjoyed the rank of Ministers and have been allocated portfolios by the Lieutenant Governor. All of them are also part of the Administrative Council (AC), which is equivalent to the Cabinet in the political Government, and empowered to take all administrative and other decisions pertaining to the Union Territory.
For full Warrant of Precedence
However, there has been no mention of the Advisors in the Warrant of Precedence released today as well as the previous such list which was issued by the Union Territory Government on December 17, 2019.
A significant change made in the Warrant of Precedence today pertained to inclusion of Presidents of Municipal Councils and Municipalities, who now will be at par with District Magistrates, major Head of Departments, District and Sessions Judges, Chairpersons of Block Development Councils and officers of the rank of Brigadiers and equivalent.
In the previous Warrant of Precedence, the Government had included Chairpersons of Block Development Councils in the list but Presidents of Municipal Councils and Municipalities had been left out.
In the Warrant of Precedence, the Lieutenant Governor has been placed at No. 11 along with Attorney General of India and Cabinet Secretary while the Ministers of State of the Union, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chief Ministers of States, Deputy Speaker Lok Sabha and Members of Planning Commission were above him at No. 10.
The Chief Minister of the Union Territory of J&K, whenever elected after Assembly elections, will figure at No. 15 along with Cabinet Ministers in States within their respective States and Chief Executive Councilor, Delhi within their respective Union Territories and Deputy Ministers of the Union.
The Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, whenever the Government is formed, will be at No. 18 in the Warrant of Precedence along with Executive Councilors, Delhi within their respective Union/ outside Territories.
Mayors within their respective territorial jurisdictions are placed at No. 19-A just behind the Ministers.
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