*All DCs submit demarcation reports
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 20: With the Government rushing through to establish the newly announced administrative units well before the issuance of notification for the Assembly elections, the High Powered Committee headed by Chief Secretary is going to finalize report regarding manpower and infrastructure required for making these units functional in its final meeting to be held next week. However, keeping in view huge financial implications and other difficulties, the Government may go in for establishment of these units in phased manner.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that High Powered Committee headed by Chief Secretary and comprising Administrative Secretaries of Planning and Development, Finance, Revenue, Rural Development, General Administration and Revenue Departments has deliberated on the modalities for creation of staff and infrastructure in its three meetings held since the opening of Darbar at Summer Capital of the State.
“Based on the suggestions made in these meetings, the Revenue and Rural Development Departments have carried out necessary modifications in their proposals for manpower and infrastructure”, they said, adding “at present both these departments are busy in working out the financial implications involved in giving practical shape to the landmark decision about opening of large number of administrative units in one go”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Revenue Department is dealing with four categories of the administrative units—Sub-Divisions, Tehsils, Niabats and Patwar Halqas while as CD Blocks fall in the domain of the Rural Development Department. While the Revenue Department has projected requirement of around 5000 manpower (both gazetted and non-gazetted), the Rural Development Department has worked out the requirement of less than 1000 officers and officials in order to make the newly announced administrative units functional.
Disclosing that High Powered Committee will finalize its report in its final meeting scheduled to take place next week, sources said that the report would then be placed before the Cabinet for its approval and issuance of necessary orders to make the new administrative units functional albeit with short-term measures.
“As the creation of infrastructure would take time, the units would be made functional in the rented accommodation and in the phased manner spread over two-three months”, they said in response to a question, adding “for the infrastructure, the High Powered Committee has already issued directions for preparation of a prototype for buildings for summer and winter zones and the same is almost ready and would be cleared in the next meeting of the Committee”.
They said that the decision about one prototype of infrastructure for each category of units was taken on the pattern of the office complex of District Development Commissioners in those districts which were created in 2007. “This would also help in checking cost variation in the construction of infrastructure”, sources added.
About the manpower arrangement, they said, “as far as gazetted posts are concerned there would not be any problem as Junior Scale KAS officers can be considered for the same”, adding “there would be some difficulties about arrangement of non-gazetted staff for these administrative units. However, it has been proposed that this category of manpower would be arranged by way of internal arrangements, which include deploying of staff from the Public Sector Units, which are presently lying in the defunct condition, and diversion of surplus manpower from different departments”.
Replying to a question about the jurisdiction of new administrative units, sources said that all the Deputy Commissioners have furnished their reports in this regard and presently the same are being consolidated and will be placed before the Cabinet along with the report of the High Powered Committee for approval.
It is pertinent to mention here that Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand has recommended creation of 46 Sub-Divisions, 135 Tehsils, 177 CD Blocks, 301 Niabats and 2582 Patwar Halqas. These recommendations were approved by the State Cabinet in the month of February this year.
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