Vacancies of Sarpanchs, Panchs to be filled: CS
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 17: Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu said today that all rights, responsibilities and powers will be given to the newly elected Block Development Councils (BDCs) and the Government officers will be sensitized on working with elected people while Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam announced that the Government will fill vacancies in the Panchayats, both Sarpanchs and Panchs, soon.
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Addressing two-day training programme for the Chairpersons of the BDCs here this morning, Murmu said the District Planning and Development Boards (DPDBs) will be constituted after elections to the Zila Parishads in due course of time, which will complete three-tier of Panchayati Raj System for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir.
Whenever the elections to DPDBs are held, this will be for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir that elected DPDBs will be set up. Earlier in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, there used to be the nominated District Development Boards (DDBs) headed by the Ministers.
Murmu reiterated that 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Constitution of India will be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir for strengthening of Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies.
The Lieutenant Governor said the Union Territory Government has made structure of the BDCs and will give them all rights, responsibilities and powers. The Government officers will also be sensitized on working with the elected representatives, he added.
“Security will be given to the BDC Chairpersons based on threat perception,” he asserted.
Describing the BDC Chairpersons as elected representatives of the people, the Lieutenant Governor said they should identify grass root priorities within the limited resources which the Government has.
He also announced honorarium for the BDC Chairpersons saying it will be among the highest paid honorarium in the country. The Chairpersons will also get due protocol as per the Warrant of Precedence, he added.
“Remuneration and protocol of the BDC Chairpersons has been fixed which is best in the country. This will encourage the Chairpersons to be proactive and make the BDCs vibrant institutions,” he added.
It may be mentioned here that only today the UT Government released its first Warrant of Precedence in which the BDC Chairpersons have been brought at par with the District Magistrates and Head of Departments.
The Lieutenant Governor observed that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has made sweeping amendments for the J&K Panchayati Raj Act 1989 in October 2018, which will have far reaching effect on empowerment of Panchayats. The amendment, he said, will make the Act comprehensive policy document which provides the vision, direction and powers to the Panchayati Raj System in the Union Territory.
Meanwhile, addressing the training programme, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam announced that elections for all vacancies in the Panchayats will be held shortly.
He said 300 Sarpanchs have been elected as the BDC chairpersons and their posts have fallen vacant.
Further, he said, when the Panchayat elections were held last year, some of the posts remained vacant.
“In some of the Panchayats especially in South Kashmir districts like Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian besides Budgam, either some posts of Sarpanchs or Panchs remained vacant when the Panchayat elections were held last year,” Subrahmanyam said.
He indicated that the elections to the vacancies might be held taking into account the cold weather conditions in January-February. He called upon the BDC Chairpersons to use the powers given to them.
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