Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 25: Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Saifuddin Soz today targeted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for not empowering the Panchayats in the State.
Soz said that his party will fight for adopting the provisions of the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution of India by the state Government that empowers Panchayats.
Releasing a letter addressed to the Chief Minister in a press conference here Soz said Chief Minister claimed lot of credit for the Government regarding Panchayat elections in which 80 per cent to 85 per cent of the people in Jammu and Kashmir state participated.
In his letter Soz has written that the panchayat elections were recognized, both nationally and internally as far as their fairness and number of participants were concerned.
“The Congress has remained steadfast in its demand that the provisions under 73rd amendment of the Constitution have to be adopted in Jammu and Kashmir, so that the Sarpanchs and Panchs feel fully empowered”, the letter said.
“In recent times, we requested you that if the National Conference is not ready to adopt 73rd amendment if so facto, it can incorporate these provisions in the Panchayati Raj act of the state. I earnestly request you to take measures for accepting the provisions of the 73rd amendment of the constitution of India”, the letter added.
Soz said that in the last meeting of the Coordination Committee, he had also suggested that Sarpanchs and Panchs should be offered some honorarium of Rs 3000 to Sarpanchs and Rs 2000 to Panchs, per month and a fresh demand for grant should be raised with the Centre.
” I wrote to Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh to agree with us to provide necessary amount of the money for grant of honorarium to Sarpanchs and Panchs. I have also made an earnest request to Prime Minister to grant this amount of money to Government of Jammu and Kashmir. I also met Home Minister recently and requested him to support the demand for grants”, Soz said in his letter.
“I would request you to raise the demand with Government of India for the required amount of money for sanction as honorarium to Sarpanchs and Panchs. I would also request you to make up your mind on holding elections to the Panchayats at the block level as also holding elections for four seats on which candidates would be elected for the Legislative Council”, the letter said.
He said that there was no fear among the panchs and sarpanchs in the valley as they wanted to work for the betterment of the people.
Soz said that many sarpanchs have met him today and he claimed that they do not want to resign. “They want to work for the people. There is no fear,” Soz said.
At least 500 Sarpanches and Panches have resigned following the killing of their colleagues since last year across Kashmir valley. Soz said that the Panchayat members expressed their desire to work for the betterment and development of the people of the State.
Soz said that security cannot be provided to every panchayat member. He said the State Government will look into the killings, but refused to squarely blame militants for it.
Soz said: “I cannot say that every killing is done by militants. Sometimes, there is personal rivalry involved. But the Government will properly investigate the killings.”
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