Experts say these forums can be framed without MLAs
Proper planning for development remains distant dream
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 20: The third-tier of the Panchayati Raj Institutions—District Development Councils have yet not been fully empowered in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir because of inordinate delay in establishment of District Planning and Development Boards and vital Committees. Due to this, proper planning which is imperative for holistic development has remained a distant dream.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that District Development Councils can be fully empowered only after the establishment of District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) and several important Committees as per the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act.
The issue was highlighted before the higher authorities in the Government of J&K Union Territory a number of times by the Chairmen of the District Development Councils but till date no serious attention has been paid towards these aspects.
The inordinate delay in establishment of District Planning and Development Board is notwithstanding the fact that this forum is required to handle several important aspects relating to proper planning for ensuring holistic development of the areas. “Even five Standing Committees for Finance, Development, Public Works, Health and Education and Welfare are required to be constituted. Similarly, District Planning Committees are important structural part of the Boards”, sources said.
Chairmen of several District Development Councils, while talking to EXCELSIOR, said, “we have been told that District Planning and Development Board and other Committees will be constituted only after the election of Members of Legislative Assembly”, adding “this is not a plausible reason for the delay in fully empowering the Councils as nobody knows when the Assembly elections will be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir”.
The legal experts, when contacted, put weight behind the stand of the heads of the District Development Councils by quoting the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act, which state that every District Development Council shall consist of directly elected members from territorial constituencies in the district, the Members of the Legislative Assembly representing a part or whole of the district whose constituencies lie within the district and the Chairpersons of all Block Development Councils of the district.
“If the District Development Councils can be constituted in the absence of MLAs then what is the hesitation in formulation of District Planning and Development Board and other important Committees”, they said, adding “in order to fully empower the third-tier of the Panchayati Raj Institutions the Government should establish Boards after framing the Committees and once elected the MLAs can automatically become the members of the Boards”.
Under the Act, the District Planning and Development Board has been entrusted with the powers to consider and guide the formulation of development programmes for the area of the district under its authority and indicate priorities for various schemes; review periodically progress and achievements of development plans and schemes; lay down policy guidelines for the Block Development Councils and Panchayats etc.
Moreover, the Act says that every District Development Council should have five Standing Committees. The Standing Committee for Finance is supposed to deal with subjects like accounts, audit, budget, general administration etc while as Standing Committee for Development is required to deal with development planning, socio-economic planning, agriculture, soil conservation, animal husbandry, minor irrigation etc.
Similarly, the Standing Committee for Public Works shall deal with the public works, housing, spatial planning and environment while as Standing Committee for Health and Education shall deal with public health etc. The Standing Committee for Welfare is supposed to look after social welfare, development of women and children and development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
“It is not understandable as to how formulation of committees having such huge responsibilities can be ignored by the Government”, sources said, adding “it is the duty of the Government to initiate steps for having such committees in each District Development Council so that third tier of the PRIs is strengthened fully”.
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