*14th FC grants only Rs 172 cr against demand of Rs 542 cr
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 29: Perturbed over earmarking of meager financial assistance and non-clearance of proposed new projects by the 14th Finance Commission, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has sought personal intervention of Union Minister for Law and Justice in sanctioning one-time grant of Rs 215 crore for completion of ongoing judicial infrastructure projects in the State. He has also pleaded for treating Jammu and Kashmir at par with North Eastern States by sanctioning 90:10 funding pattern as against 75:25 basis.
Highly placed sources told EXCELSIOR that in order to meet the requirement of judicial infrastructure, the State Government projected demand of Rs 542 crore to the 14th Finance Commission but only Rs 172.04 crore has been earmarked, which is grossly inadequate to ensure completion of ongoing judicial infrastructure projects across Jammu and Kashmir.
Of this Rs 172.04 crore, an amount of Rs 25.33 crore has been earmarked by the 14th Finance Commission for Additional Courts, Rs 48.35 crore for Fast Track Courts, Rs 38.5 crore for re-designing existing courts, Rs 9.37 crore for technical manpower support, Rs 25 crore scanning and digitization, Rs 0.51 crore for Law Schools, Rs 0.63 crore for Lok Adalats, Rs 17.03 crore for Mediators and Rs 6.91 crore for capacity building.
Perturbed over meager financial assistance, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed found it appropriate to seek the personal intervention of Union Minister of Law and Justice D V Sadananda Gowda to bail-out Jammu and Kashmir from the lurking financial crisis, which would create hurdles in timely completion of ongoing judicial infrastructure projects.
“The State of Jammu and Kashmir has passed through a very bad phase due to the militancy. While the Government was rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed during the militancy and trying to address the developmental requirements of the public, the unprecedented floods of September 2014 caused havoc. The private as well as public infrastructure suffered huge losses. Moreover, many under-construction infrastructural projects also suffered losses”, reads the communiqué of Chief Minister addressed to Union Law Minister, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
The letter further states: “The rehabilitation of the affected people though has been taken up but, we still have to go miles ahead. The resource crunch is the major impediment in quick rehabilitation of the affected people”.
Stating that like other sectors, the number of judicial infrastructure projects, some of which were taken up under development of judicial infrastructure scheme of the Union Ministry of Law and Justice, were at various levels, Mufti Sayeed said, “the State Government is finding it difficult at this stage to even provide 25% State Share”.
The Chief Minister has also brought to the notice of the Union Law Minister that during the Chief Justices and Chief Ministers Conference held at New Delhi on April 5, 2015, J&K had highlighted this aspect and requested that the State be treated at par with the Northern States where the pattern of funding is 90:10 as against 75:25 in case of State of Jammu and Kashmir.
“In order to meet the requirement of judicial infrastructure, the State Government had projected demand of Rs 542 crore to the 14th Finance Commission but only Rs 172.04 crore has been earmarked. Needless to mention that no new project proposed by the State Government has been approved by the 14th Finance Commission”, Mufti Sayeed has told the Union Law Minister, adding “the amount agreed to has been earmarked for additional courts, fast track courts and technical man-power support etc only”.
Mufti Sayeed has conveyed to the Union Law Minister that in order to complete the ongoing judicial projects, the State Government is in need of an amount of Rs 100 crore and Rs 115 crore for development of infrastructure for old and newly established courts. In view of the resource crunch and peculiar circumstances which the State is faced with, the Chief Minister has requested the Union Law Minister to consider the one-time grant of Rs 215 crore during the current financial year so that the ongoing judicial infrastructure projects are completed and put to use.
The Union Law Ministry is likely to sympathetically consider the request of Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, sources said.
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