Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 21: Expediting the huge task to submit recommendations “as early as possible”, the Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) on administrative units today fixed two separate criterias for recommendation of the new units for plain and hilly areas across the State.
On second straight day, the seven members CSC met for over three hours and scrutinized representations received from 10 districts of Jammu region. It decided to again meet tomorrow to take up representations of Kashmir and Ladakh regions, accounting for 12 districts.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the CSC today fixed population, area and distance as the criteria for sanctioning new administrative units in plain areas while it would take area, distance and topography into consideration for setting up new units in the hilly and mountainous areas.
The CSC would be taking the assistance of Revenue Department and other Government agencies to determine population, area and distance before recommending setting up of new administrative units in the State.
“Population would be the major criteria for new administrative units in plain areas while area, distance and topography would be the major factors for new units in hilly areas,” sources said, adding the criteria would ensure that there was no favouritism in recommendation of new units and everything is done within the framework unlike Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai Committee, which had recommended a block in Kashmir based on just three Panchayats.
A CSC member assured people of all three regions of the State that there would be no discrimination with any region in the new units as the criteria set by the Panel would ensure that every new unit was based on population, area, distance, topography etc. There had been allegations that Ganai Committee had recommended some of the units purely on the basis of `political considerations’ without taking any criteria into consideration.
However, sources said, the CSC would be including administrative units recommended by Ganai Committee in its recommendations, which were based on some criteria apart from recommending the new ones.
The Committee would be recommending patwar halqas, niabats, blocks, tehsils and sub divisions. Though it has also received demands for creation of new districts, it was not within its mandate, sources said, adding the CSC has received representations for creation of about 3000 new administrative units.
However, if it goes by the majority demand of Panchayat members that the Panchayats should be co-terminus with patwar halqas than the demand for creation of new administrative units would touch 7000 as there were 4098 Panchayats in the State including 2145 in the Kashmir division including Ladakh and 1953 in Jammu division.
Though the CSC was going to submit recommendations for creation of new units within the next few days, sources said it would be an uphill task for the Government to set up such a large number of new units though Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has promised creation of new units and also desired that the CSC submits its recommendations at the earliest.
Sources were of the view that the Government would be requiring nearly Rs 15,000 crores if it had to create the new administrative units with full infrastructure and staff in one go on the basis of representations received from the people.
However, a senior CSC member pointed out that creation of infrastructure and posting of staff in newly approved administrative units was a time consuming process and it could take some time. He cited that eight new districts created from Ghulam Nabi Azad regime still lacked staff and there were many officers, who were manning two districts.
Meanwhile, the CSC headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand met for second consecutive day here today for three hours and completed the exercise of scrutinizing representations received by it from all 10 districts of the State. It would take up representations of 12 districts of Kashmir and Ladakh regions tomorrow.
Sources said based on the criteria set by it, the CSC would submit its recommendations to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for creation of new units in the State. It would take into account the new units recommended by SS Bloeria and Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai Commission recommendations.
The CSC headed by Tara Chand comprised PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Sham Lal Sharma, Urban Development Minister Rigzin Jora, all Congress, High Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone, Planning and Development Minister Ajay Sadhotra and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saifullah Mir, all National Conference and Agriculture Minister GH Mir.
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