Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 28: High Powered Committee headed by Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey has finalized the modalities for the establishment of new administrative units with special emphasis on the man-power and infrastructure aspects and the State Cabinet will take final call on the recommendations of the panel very shortly.
The Committee has recommended both long and short-term measures so that these administrative units could be made functional within shortest possible time without facing difficulties particularly on account of manpower and infrastructure.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that High Powered Committee has cleared the proposals of the Revenue and Rural Development Departments regarding creation of posts for the new administrative units, which include 6 Sub-Divisions, 135 Tehsils, 177 CD Blocks, 301 Niabats and 2582 Patwar Halqas.
While Revenue Department has projected creation of 3800 posts-both Gazetted and Non-Gazetted, the Rural Development Department has submitted proposal regarding creation of 1200 posts, sources said, adding the High Powered Committee while clearing these proposals also agreed to the suggestions regarding utilization of staff posted against non-functional posts and re-deployment of available man-power by making suitable interim arrangements.
Quoting an example in this regard, they said, “there are around 700 Junior Engineers and Inspectors in the Rural Development Department and they can be suitably adjusted in accordance with the requirement of new administrative units”, adding “though the new units have been created but there will be no increase in the area of operation of the Junior Engineers and Inspectors. Rather, their jurisdiction will come down considerably”.
“Similarly, the officers and officials, who were posted in the Tehsils created for Agrarian Reforms and even otherwise, can also be re-deployed/re-adjusted in order to make the new administrative units functional”, they said, adding the Committee has also recommended that the filling up of posts for new administrative units should be carried out on fast-track basis.
“There will not be major problem in filling up of the posts required to be created for these administrative units as 50% are to be filled by way of direct recruitment and remaining 50% by way of promotion of the senior most departmental officers”, they said while responding to a question.
About the infrastructure, which is another major issue, sources said that the High Powered Committee has recommended that all the units must be made functional in the rented accommodation or wherever required space is available in the existing Government buildings. “The Committee is of the observation that as majority of the new administrative units fall in the rural areas, there would not be any problem in identification of Government land for the construction of infrastructure”, sources added.
Disclosing that the prototypes of the infrastructure for each category of administrative unit prepared by the Revenue and Rural Development Departments were cleared by the Committee, sources said, “on the basis of these prototypes, financial implication for the construction of permanent infrastructure for all the new administrative units has been worked out at Rs 1200 crore”, adding “as far as recurring expenditure is concerned, an amount of around Rs 150 crore would be required per annum by Revenue and Rural Development Departments”.
In response to a question, sources said that High Powered Committee has recommended creation of permanent infrastructure in phased manner spread over a period of four-five years so that Government would be able to arrange required funds by exploring different options.
“The recommendations /report of the High Powered Committee would be placed before the Cabinet for its final decision”, they said, adding “as the Government is keen to give practical shape to its landmark decision of opening such a large number of new administrative units, the Cabinet will take decision on the High Powered Committee report very shortly”.
They said that the demarcation reports, which were received from the Deputy Commissioners and then consolidated, would also be placed before the Cabinet along with the report/recommendations of the High Powered Committee.
The High Powered Committee is comprised of Administrative Secretaries of Planning and Development, Finance, Revenue, General Administration Department and Rural Development Departments and it finalized modalities in a meeting held yesterday.
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