*Posts of Panchayat Insps not created in 177 blocks
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 25: Astonishing it may sound but it is a fact that frail limbs have been assigned the task of ensuring much-needed development of rural areas in Jammu and Kashmir besides monitoring the implementation of numerous schemes of the Union Government having multiple objectives. This can be gauged from the fact that huge number of Community Development Blocks are without Block Development Officers (BDOs) and other staff and functioning of such blocks is being managed through ad hoc arrangements.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that like the previous dispensations the present PDP-BJP Coalition Government is also making frequent statements about laying required focus on ensuring holistic development of the rural areas and bringing them at par with the urban areas in terms of infrastructure and basic amenities.
“However, the ground situation is contrary to what is being officially stated as this gigantic task has been handed over to the feeble limbs”, they said while disclosing that large number of Community Development (CD) Blocks of Jammu and Kashmir have been lacking the permanent Block Development Officers (BDOs) and the functioning of these administrative units is being managed through ad hoc arrangements.
On the recommendations of Cabinet Sub-Committee, a total of 177 new CD Blocks were created by the Government vide order dated 222-RD&PR of 2014 dated July 23, 2014. Moreover, 1239 new posts for the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department were created in the same month to ensure smooth functioning of administrative units.
It was explicitly stated in the order that each CD Block will have seven posts—one each of BDO, Assistant Accounts Officer (AAO), Section Officer (Planning), Assistant Engineer and Junior Assistant and two posts of Class IV.
However, despite lapse of more than two years, over 100 newly created CD Blocks are still without Block Development Officers and other staff and their functioning is being ensured by assigning the charge of these blocks to the BDOs of adjoining administrative units, sources said while disclosing that though posts of BDOs were referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission for recruitment in a time bound basis but not even one batch of BDOs has been cleared for appointment by the PSC till date.
Not only Public Service Commission even the Planning and Development, Finance and Public Works Department have been soft-paddling on filling up of vacant posts in the newly created CD Blocks, sources said, adding many blocks don’t have SO Planning, AAOs and Junior Engineers thereby hampering their functioning and creating road-block in ensuring development of rural areas.
“Though functioning of the CD Blocks in plain areas is being managed by assigning the task of vacant post to the officers of the adjoining blocks, the situation in blocks of hilly and tough terrain districts is peculiar”, sources said and asked “how a BDO of block spread over huge area can manage the affairs of another block having equal area or more than that”.
Quoting an instance, they said that in Leh district the functioning of Skurbuchen, Singaylalok, Thiksay, Rong-Chumathang, Rupsho Puga and Turtuk blocks is being managed by assigning charge to the adjacent BDOs/AEs owing to dearth of Block Development Officers. The most shocking aspect is that only one Junior Assistant and two Orderlies have been posted in many of these newly created CD blocks.
About situation vis-à-vis posting of other staff, sources quoted the instance of Diskit, Turtuk and Panamic blocks of Nobra constituency where against the sanctioned strength of seven Junior Engineers none is presently working in these blocks and the engineering work in these blocks is being run by Technical Assistants mainly because of non-serious approach of the Public Works Department.
The non-serious approach towards making such a large number of blocks functional in real sense is notwithstanding the fact that Block Development Officers have a key role to play in monitoring implementation of various flagship schemes of the Union Government, sources said, adding “in this way the objective behind creation of new administrative units could not be fully achieved till date”.
They further informed that all 177 CD blocks which were created two years back are lacking Panchayat Inspectors because no such post was created at that time despite the fact that Panchayat Inspectors are vital link between the BDO and Panchayat Halqas for ensuring holistic development of the latter.
“Actually, Panchayat Inspectors are considered as backbone of the CD block and provide strong support system to the Panchayats to make them able to discharge their responsibilities effectively”, sources said.
Responding to a question, they said that the issue of creation of posts of Panchayat Inspectors in newly created 177 CD blocks was taken up in the State Cabinet a number of times during the past one and half year but without any fruitful outcome. “Due to this, vital link between Government and Panchayats has remained missing particularly in respect of 177 CD blocks”, sources regretted.
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