Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 22: There has been unprecedented demand from different parts of the State for fresh creation of Sub Divisions, Tehsils, CD Blocks, Niabats and Patwar Halqas as a Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC), constituted for the purpose has been receiving huge representations from the people and their representatives.
“There has been massive response from the people…the public representatives and other political workers. A large number of representations have already been received and with deadline for giving representations having already been extended till September 28, we are anticipating more response,’’ official sources told the Excelsior.
Though the extended term of the CSC, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand is ending on September 25, the Government was likely to grant it another extension.
Tara Chand told the Excelsior that the CSC would meet only after September 28 when deadline for receiving representations from the public is over.
“We will examine the representations received from the people, public representatives and all other organisations on creation of administrative units. We will also take into account the reports of previous committees headed by Dr SS Bloeria, former Chief Secretary and present Vice Chancellor of Central University, Jammu and Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai (a retired IAS officer), which had conducted the exercise of setting up more administrative units. The CSC would need more time to complete the entire exercise, which would be a comprehensive one,’’ the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Other members of the CSC included Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone, Planning and Development Minister Ajay Sadhotra and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saifullah Mir, all from National Conference, Urban Development Minister Rigzin Jora and PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Sham Lal Sharma, both Congress and Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir (DPN).
Sources admitted that the CSC had very tough task in hand in recommending new administrative units in view of all-round demand from the people apart from financial and related problems the Government had to face for setting up of new units.
It was on March 31, 2007 during Congress-PDP coalition Government that eight new districts, three new sub divisions and 11 new tehsils were created vide Government Order No. Rev/S/115 of 2007. New districts included Kishtwar, Ramban, Reasi and Samba in Jammu region, Kulgam, Bandipora, Shopian and Ganderbal in Kashmir region.
The creation of new districts, sub divisions and tehsils had led to similar demand from other areas prompting the Government to constitute a committee headed by Dr S S Bloeria on July 31, 2006 named as `Demarcation of Geographical Boundaries of the Newly Created Administrative Units. The committee report remained inconclusive and the Government had set up another panel named `Committee for Examination of Demands of New Administrative Units’ headed by Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai.
It had submitted its report in July 2011 recommendation fresh creation of Sub Divisions, 57 Tehsils, 63 CD blocks, 79 Niabats and 733 Patwar Halqas apart from rationalization/reorganization of existing Administrative Units.
Sources said the CSC would take recommendations of Ganai Committee into account in addition to new representations received by it before finalizing its report. However, they admitted that it could take a lot of time for the CSC to go through the new representations and previous report of Ganai Committee before submitting its report.
The CSC was constituted on July 24, 2013 with one month time to submit its report. On September 19, the Government had granted one month extension to the CSC, whose term had expired on August 24. As the fresh extension had retrospective effect, the extended term of the Committee is also expiring on September 24. Sources said the Government was likely to give another extension to the CSC.
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