Cabinet deferred due to serious differences
NC Core Group, Cong Ministers meet twice
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 24: Hardening stand on implementation of new administrative units in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today that he was extending one last extension of a week to the Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand (on setting up of the new units) and indicated that the Government would go ahead with setting of the administrative units if the CSC didn’t submit its report within the final deadline of January 31.
Dropping broad hints that he won’t even hesitate from “sacrificing the Government” for creation of new administrative units in the State, Omar maintained that he had given last extension to the CSC reluctantly till January 31 today and made it clear to the Committee when its members called on him at the Civil Secretariat this afternoon that there would be no other Cabinet agenda or Cabinet meeting till the Panel submitted its recommendations.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s tough postures, a CSC member said this evening that the panel would submit its recommendations at any cost on January 31.
It turned out to be a very hectic day for both coalition partners-National Conference and Congress with NC’s Core Group meeting twice-first at the Chief Minister’s official residence in the morning and second time at the Civil Secretariat to devise strategy in view of alleged delay by the CSC in submitting its recommendations. All Congress Ministers in the State and Deputy CLP leader Mohammad Sharief Niaz also met twice-first at the State Guest House and again in the office of the Deputy Chief Minister to discuss their strategy in the wake of an tough posture by the Chief Minister that he was determined to complete the important public demand for creation of new units no matter what (ever the consequences).
“The Cabinet Sub Committee for new administrative units met me requesting one last week more to complete their recommendations. While I rather reluctantly gave them this one week, I have told then there will be no other Cabinet agenda taken up and no further extensions to the Committee till they submit their report on one last deadline of January 31,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site twitter after all seven members of the CSC called on him at Civil Secretariat at about 4.00 pm without any recommendations of the Committee.
Taking strong exception to delay by the CSC in submitting their recommendations despite several extensions, Omar commented: “it’s unfortunate that this exercise has taken since June but I’m determined to complete this important public demand no matter what (ever the consequences)”.
Sources said the Chief Minister has made it very clear that he would go ahead and fulfill the long pending demand of the people for setting up of new administrative units whether the CSC submits its report on January 31 or not and even if he had to sacrifice his Government, he won’t hesitate from announcing the new units.
Sources said the tough posture of Omar Abdullah stunned his coalition partner-the Congress, which met twice in the day to discuss the strategy. However, late in the evening, CSC chairman and Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand reportedly declared that the CSC would complete the uphill task and finalise its recommendations on January 31 and submit them to the Chief Minister.
The Cabinet meeting, which was scheduled for 3.30 pm today was extended to 4.30 pm as the Chief Minister wanted to meet the CSC members before going in for the Cabinet meeting. The CSC meeting went beyond the schedule of half an hour and it was around 4 pm that the Panel met the Chief Minister in his office and apprised him that they had visited nearly 20 out of 22 districts and took representations from people of entire State.
Tara Chand told the Chief Minister that it was a very difficult task to examine 3000 fresh representations received from the public for setting up of new units. Moreover, he said, the CSC also had to take into account the previous reports of S S Bloeria and Mushtaq Ahmad Ganaie Commissions before finalizing the report.
Sources said Omar was very upset with the CSC for delaying the recommendation and apprised the members of his deep concern over the delay. However, the CSC members pleaded that it was a very time consuming process in view of over 3000 representations for the new units. The Chief Minister finally gave time up to January 31 to the CSC to finalise the report and submit it to him so that the Government could take further action on creation of new units.
The Chief Minister made it clear to the CSC members, all seven of whom were Cabinet Ministers, that there would be no Cabinet meeting and no agenda would be taken up till the CSC submits its recommendation and the Cabinet debates them. He left the Civil Secretariat and the Cabinet meeting, which had been deferred from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm, was cancelled.
Sources had described today’s Cabinet meeting as crucial in the context that the Chief Minister had planned to take up the CSC recommendations and announce creation of new units.
The CSC assured the Chief Minister that it would positively submit its recommendations on January 31 to facilitate the Chief Minister take a decision on creation of new administrative units.
Sources said prior and after the CSC meeting with the Chief Minister, the National Conference Core Group met to discuss the situation arising out of the delay in creation of new administrative units.
The Core Group comprised Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, CAPD and Transport Minister Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Forest Minister Mian Altaf, Planning and Development Minister Ajay Sadhotra, NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana and former Minister Surjit Singh Slathia.
The Core Group met in the morning at the Chief Minister’s residence and endorsed the demand of Omar Abdullah for expeditiously setting up new administrative units in the interest of people.
It met again in the afternoon after the CSC’s meeting with Omar and discussed the future strategy.
Sources said the Core Group was of the view that the CSC should submit its report by January 31 at any cost. It justified the Chief Minister’s stand that the National Conference shouldn’t hesitate from taking any step like implementation of Ganaie report if there was any intentional delay in submission of the report.
The Core Group reviewed the political situation if the National Conference had to take any “drastic step” in view of the Chief Minister’s statement that come what may he was determined to go for creation of new units.
Worthwhile to mention here that Omar had in a NC rally at Vijaypur recently charged the Congress with deliberately delaying the CSC report on setting up of new administrative units.
Meanwhile, all Congress Ministers in the coalition Government, numbering 12, apart from Deputy CLP leader Mohammad Sharif Niaz had an hour long meeting each twice before and after the CSC meeting, sources said.
The first meeting was held at the State Guest House under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, which reviewed the party’s strategy in the wake of the Chief Minister’s stand on new administrative units. Tara Chand told the Congress Ministers that the CSC had been holding regular meetings for past five days and earlier also it had visited 20 districts to gather public representations on the new units.
Sources said one of the Congress leaders questioned the NC’s double standards on the CSC report. He was of the view that the CSC on Sagheer Ahmad Working Group headed by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather was set up in January 2010 but it hasn’t submitted any report so far. The CSC even didn’t meet once in the entire last year but the NC had maintained a mysterious silence on it. However, the CSC on administrative units was set up in July last year only, he noted.
The Congress members were of the view that they too were in favour of setting up of new administrative units but they have to be based on the criteria and not in a haphazard manner. Some of the Congress members were of the view that the National Conference was interested in implementation of ‘biased’ Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai Commission recommendation and that was why it was in so much hurry on the CSC report.
The Congress decided not to succumb to any pressurizing tactics of the National Conference.
Sources said CSC chairman Tara Chand, however, has made it clear that the CSC would submit its report on January 31. Sources said the Congress leadership too wanted the CSC to submit its recommendations to preempt any move by the National Conference to implement Mushtaq Ahmad Ganaie Commission report, which was allegedly biased towards Jammu.
Sources said the CSC would base its recommendations for new administrative units on criterias decided by it like population, area, distance and topography-separately for plain and hilly areas. It would also take into account the recommendations of SS Bloeria and Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai Commission reports while finalizing its report.
Worthwhile to mention that Mushtaq Ganaie Committee has proposed a total of 23 Sub-Divisions across the State, which include 10 for Jammu region, 12 for Kashmir valley and one for Ladakh region.
Similarly, it has recommended creation of 57 Tehsils—-28 for Jammu region, 25 for Kashmir valley and 4 for Ladakh region comprising Leh and Kargil districts.
As far as Niabats are concerned, Ganaie Committee had recommended 79 units which include 40 for Jammu region, 34 for Kashmir valley and 5 for Ladakh region. Likewise, it has proposed creation of 63 Community Development blocks, which include 29 for Jammu, 31 for Kashmir valley and three for Ladakh.
As per the report, creation of a total of 733 Patwar Halqas has been recommended for the entire Jammu and Kashmir. Of these, 340 have been proposed for Jammu region, 385 for Kashmir valley and 8 for Ladakh region.
According to the official sources, at present, there are 813 Patwar Halqas in Jammu region as against 901 in Kashmir valley. Similarly, there are 126 Niabats in Jammu and 131 in Kashmir valley. Likewise, there are 77 CD Blocks in Kashmir valley as against 66 in Jammu province while as there are 37 Tehsils in Jammu as against 45 in Kashmir valley. There are 11 Sub-Divisions in Jammu and 10 in Kashmir valley.
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