Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Sept 7: The former Union Minister and MLA, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta has emphasized the need for completing the basic preparations for conducting of the much delayed civic elections in J&K as mere announcements would add to the doubts about the sincerity of the Government in this regard.
Prof Gupta pointed out that it is about years ago, it was assured even in the address of the Governor that the civic elections in the State would be held soon after the Lok Sabha polls and these basic democracies would be empowered in conformity with the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Indian Constitution but even after over three years of holding the Lok Sabha polls this solemn pledge still remains to be completed.
Referring to latest promise by the Chief Minister and his colleagues of the Congress that election to the Local Bodies would be held before the end of this year, Prof Gupta said that the announcement should follow the action on the ground. But there seems little moving ahead for having free and fair civic polls. For this there is the pre-requisite to have neat and clean electoral rolls as the present lists were not only faulty but also full of mistakes and howlers, in addition to the names of thousands of people are missing and in certain localities the number of electorates is larger than even the Census population.
He also pointed that it is not yet clear that when the delimitation of the wards would be completed and their number also in many cases.
Prof Gupta also assailed the inordinate delay in empowerment of the Panchayats and completing the exercise of 3 tier system although the elections to the Panchayats were held about 18 months ago.
All this, he observed is serious aspersion over the functioning of this coalition of the NC-Congress.
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