Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 1: The leaders and activists of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party today held protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground near Press Club today, seeking empowerment of Panchayats in the State.
A large number of NPP activists under the leadership of Harshdev Singh, former Minister and chairman of the party assembled at Exhibition Ground near main Tawi bridge in the morning and started protest demonstration followed by dharna. The workers were waving placards, depicting their demands.
While reminding the BJP-PDP alliance partners of the tall slogans given by them during elections for empowerment of Panchayats, Mr Singh sought to draw attention towards the pathetic plight of the rural Local Bodies with the Panchayati Raj system having become literally defunct in the State. He said that the Local Bodies were the worst sufferers in the present dispensation with the Panchayats having been deprived and robbed of their routine funding and the grievances of Sarpanchs and Panchs remaining unattended.
Lampooning the incumbent Govt for its total disregard for the genuine concerns of the Panchayats despite its lofty promises, Mr Singh regretted that the issues relating to their empowerment, funding, creation of three- tier Panchayati Raj system, bringing of additional Govt departments under their control, creation of separate Finance Commission were no where on the itinerary of the Govt despite lapse of seven months after the formation of Government. He said that BJP and PDP which had assured to enhance the honorarium of Sarpanchs and Panchs and to grant them sitting fee as envisaged under the PR Act but didn’t bother to release even their routine honorarium.
Harshdev strongly lambasted the State Govt for withholding the funds sanctioned for Panchayats under 14th Finance Commission by the Govt of India which were to be placed immediately at the disposal of Panchayats. He said that the Govt of India had sanctioned Rs 4769.37 crore under 14th Finance Commission for Local Self Govt out of which Rs 3463.73 crore had been sanctioned for Rural Local Bodies (Panchayats). He said that with first installment already having been released by GOI, the State Govt had wrongfully withheld the funds thus making the Panchayats to starve.
Yash Paul Kundal and others also spoke on the occasion. They called for full implementation of the provisions of 73rd and 74th Amendment of Central Act in the State of J&K.
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