Works to be decided well before start of FY
*Powers to come back to two bodies after polls
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 18: Planning of the Panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) for next financial year of 2024-25 will shift to the District Development Councils (DDCs) as the two bodies will cease to exist on January 9.
There are 4291 Panchayats and 310 BDCs in Jammu and Kashmir. While Panchayats will complete their five-year term on January 9, 2024 i.e. in a little over one and a half months from now, the BDCs, whose tenure was scheduled to expire in October next year, will cease to exist in absence of the Panchayats as their members include Sarpanchs.
Officials told the Excelsior that planning of the Panchayats and BDCs including development works to be executed for next financial year of 2024-25 will shift to 20 DDCs of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The DDCs which are the elected bodies will take a call on development works of Panchayats and BDCs in consultations with local people,’’ they said, adding that current financial year’s works have already been finalized by Panchayats and BDCs.
Planning of Panchayats and BDCs will be done in advance by the DDCs along with their own working for next financial year and approved before start of the next fiscal so that works can be taken in time and completed within the fixed deadlines.
The Central Government has been assigning hefty budgets to all three Panchayati Raj Institutions as this was for the first time that they came into existence in J&K. There was budgetary provision for all three institutions in the budget of J&K presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament which enabled them to carry out development works. In addition, Jammu and Kashmir Government had also kept provision of significant budget and other powers for all three tiers of institutions.
There are a total of 20 District Development Councils in Jammu and Kashmir, equal to number of districts in the Union Territory, which were elected for the first time in December 2020 and were formally constituted in January 2021. Their five-year term is till January 2026.
In Jammu region, the BJP controls DDCs of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi and Doda districts while National Conference is in power in Rajouri, Ramban and Kishtwar districts. An Independent is chairperson of Poonch district.
While five-year term of 4291 Panchayats is expiring in Jammu and Kashmir on January 9, nearly 310 Block Development Councils will cease to exist in the absence of Panchayats.
Elections to Panchayats have been delayed due to grant of reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), as a part of Constitutional provision introduced in Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act. However, elections to Panchayats as well as Urban Local Bodies will be held once Parliament approves reservation to OBCs followed by reservation of Wards for them.
However, the BDCs had their term till October 2024 but it will abruptly come to an end along with the Panchayats as members of the BDCs other than the Chairperson are Sarpanchs. As Sarpanchs will complete their term, there will be no members left in the BDCs.
Moreover, as per the Panchayati Raj Act, term of the BDCs is also linked to the Panchayats.
As far as 77 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are concerned, their powers will shift to Commissioners in case of Corporations and Administrators/Executive Officers in case of Councils and Committees, the officials said.
Term of both Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations has already ended while all 77 ULBs—40 in Kashmir and 37 in Jammu— will complete their tenure by December 28.
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