After Panchayats, powerful Urban Local Bodies in offing: Slathia, Rana

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 25: Minister for Industries and Commerce Surjeet Singh Slathia and Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Devender Singh Rana said that after the successful conduct of Panchayat elections and establishment of Panchayati Raj in the State, Omar Abdullah led Coalition Government in the State is keen to see powerful Urban Local Bodies functioning in cities and towns for developing the urban areas on modern lines.
Minister for Industries, Surjeet Singh Slathia while addressing a public meeting at Ward No. 32, Gole Talab Tillo, organized by Dharamveer Singh Jamwal, ex- Deputy Mayor, said that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wants people to be actively involved in governance at all levels. He said the Chief Minister is determined to transfer the power from the Secretariat to the democratic institutions at grass root and make people masters in the process of development.
Slathia presenting a detailed account of the achievements registered by the coalition Government in the State during last three years said that measures are in place to bring about an all round change in the development scenario reaching out to people in all areas.
He said the importance of local bodies to address local issues of development at towns and cities level is of significant nature. He asked the people to be fully ready to participate in the upcoming urban local bodies elections to select the best candidates and lay edifice for the comprehensive development of towns and cities.
Speaking on the occasion, Devender Singh Rana, Political Advisor to the Chief Minister said that like Panchayats, the urban local bodies in the State would be made powerful to decide on development issues at their level. He said Omar Abdullah wants to empower urban local bodies so that these effectively deliver on the ground and attend to the local public development needs adequately.
He said that the new urban local bodies would not be a farce as was done in 2002 when these institutions were elected but without transferring any powers to the corporators and local bodies representatives, thereby making them redundant and an exercise in futility.
“Omar Abdullah led Coalition Government is determined to make corporators powerful and local bodies institutions functional”, Rana said asking the people to participate in these elections in large numbers electing the best possible candidates who will be always at their beck and call and help resolve their problems.
Rana said the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is taking the Government from Civil Secretariat to the door steps of the people so that specific public requirements in specific areas are addressed specifically and effectively. He said the Omar led Government wants the local developmental issues are properly tackled locally by the local representatives and as such wants to empower and strengthen grass root democratic institutions to ensure comprehensive, transparent and visible development.
Addressing the gathering Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari, Vice Chairman for Development of Pahari Speaking People and Rattan Lal Gupta provincial president National Conference Jammu province gave a brief of the historical initiatives and measures taken by the present National Conference-Congress coalition Government under the leadership of Omar Abdullah for the holistic development of the state.
The public meeting was also addressed by Vijay Lakshmi Dutta, provincial president J&K National Conference Women Wing, Chander Mohan Sharma, Taranjeet Singh Tony, Ashok Singh Manhas and others.