Mir, Bhalla, Mula Ram, others flay BJP for development deficit

Senior Cong leaders G A Mir, Raman Bhalla, Mula Ram and others at Panchayat Conference in Anantnag. -Excelsior/Sajad Dar
Senior Cong leaders G A Mir, Raman Bhalla, Mula Ram and others at Panchayat Conference in Anantnag. -Excelsior/Sajad Dar

Cong Party’s mega Panchayat Conference in Verinag

Excelsior Correspondent

ANANTNAG, Apr 10: Congress today held mega Panchyat Conference at Omoh in Verinag area of Anantnag district to review the current developmental scenario, besides the outcome of ‘Back to Village’ events and many other developmental issues concerning people at grass-roots level.
JKPCC with its prime objective to receive feedback of Sarpanchs and Panchs, held threadbare discussions on the developmental issues concerning people, blaming the Govt for failing to empower PRIs, besides addressing the rising unemployment, unprecedented price hike and many other issues of public importance, which were being ignored by the Govt.
JKPCC chief GA Mir, presided over the Panchayat Conference while vice presidents former ministers Mula Ram, Raman Bhalla, Ex- MLAs Haji Abdul Rashid Dar, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Hari Singh Chib and various other senior leaders of the party addressed the mega panchayat conference and criticised the BJP Govt for development deficit in J&K and hike in the prices of fuel.
Senior leaders received feedback from Sarpanchs and Panchs with regard to current developmental scenario especially the functioning of panchayats, besides the outcome of Back to Village events held earlier in J&K.
The massive conference of Sarpanchs and Panchs was part of 45 days programme (Congress Panchayat Ki Aur) apprised the leadership in detail on the outcome of the Back to Village events held earlier and  the fate of its decisions as well as the recommendations made to various departments  for addressing  the issues.
The Panchayat Conference regretted that nothing substantial was achieved, though many recommendations and directions were passed   prioritizing issues at village  for their resolution, but they met the same fate as other decisions taken in the past and present by the Govt.
The participants also apprised the leadership about various other issues such as MGNREGA, implementation of various Govt schemes, construction of roads, PMAY(Prime Minister Awas Youjana) and many other developmental works, which have not been taken  up for implementation, besides the payments against the work done were also withheld, sans the logic of holding back to village events, which was  indicative of failure of the Govt in mitigating the problems and coming upto the expectations of the people.
Mir and other leaders also held discussions over many other issues of public importance, observing that functioning of Panchayats and outcome of B2V events have miserably failed, as that, both seems to have proved just as an event and not beyond that like other promises due to policies adopted by the Govt.
Addressing the Mega Panchayat Conference Mir expressed deep concern over the outcome of B2V events, saying that these have proved to be mere time consuming, whilst the outcome has remained zero  given the ground situation.
“Sarpanchs and Panchs were directly connected with the B2V evets especially PRIs, for which they have been chosen but they have been once again befooled on so called B2V events and empowerment of PRIs. There was no development to be seen on the ground as guaranteed  under Panchayati Raj Act, for the fact, these (PRIs) were not being allowed to function freely,” Mir said.
He said the feedback received from the Sarpanchs and Panchs were disappointing. He blamed the Govt for undermining the authority of democratic institutions, which were directly connected with grass root and deserves to be strengthened further rather than weakening them on one pretext or the other aiming to hide its failures.
Senior leaders Mula Ram, Raman Bhalla, R S Chib, Farooq Ahmed Bhat also addressed the gathering.