Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 6: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief spokesperson, Ravinder Sharma has questioned the government, why it has failed to hold elections to the complete structure of the DDCs and BDCs even after lapse of more than one year and two years respectively, to the heads of these bodies.
In a press statement here today, Sharma said that the important committees of the DDCs, as provided in the Panchayati Raj Act, could not be constituted even after around one year of DDC elections while the offices of BDC vice chairpersons were not filled up through elections after over two years of BDCs elections.
The structure of DDCs and BDCs are incomplete without the filling up of these important offices, as a result their functioning is lop sided and deprives the elected DDC members especially opposition to be part of the planning, development, implementation and especially, monitoring process.
He said the Act provides for the Constitution of various committees of DDCs from amongst members of the DDCs to be elected to these committees, to perform the assigned functions. In the absence of elections and constitution of these committees, their role is mainly played by the government officials and DDCs are not able to perform their functions.
Similarly, offices of BDC vice chairpersons, in all the blocks of entire UT are vacant, due to lack of elections which should have been held immediately after the BDC elections. After over two years of the BDC elections, the government has failed to conduct these elections, as mandated under the Act.
Sharma said that the anti-corruption mechanism and structure as provided in the J&K law as per the 73rd amendment is too missing, which is very unfortunate as the complaints against misuse of powers and mis-utilization of huge funds need o be investigated on regular basis . In the absence of proper and independent mechanism, at present executors are the investigators, he added.
PCC leader demanded that the government should hold elections to the left out structure of DDCs and BDCs without further delay and set up anti- corruption mechanism at each level.
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