Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 28: Making mockery of the State Legislature, the Government departments have been showing scant regard to the assurances and commitments being made by the Ministers on the floor of both the Houses. In this way the issues of immense public importance remain unattended even after being raised at the highest forum by none else than their elected representatives.
This has been observed by the Committee on Government Assurances headed by Mohd Yaseen Shah in its 19th report tabled in the Legislative Assembly recently.
The Committee on Government Assurances, during the course of deliberations in its various meetings, observed that almost all the departments show a casual approach towards the fulfillment of commitments of the Ministers made on the floor of the House from time to time particularly in respect of assurances held out in reply to Assembly questions.
“Some departments are adopting a time consuming approach in the implementation process of assurances on the matters of urgent public importance in utter disregard to the prescribed rules”, the Committee said in the report, adding “this approach is notwithstanding the fact that prescribed rules clearly state that there should be an endeavor on the part of departments to ensure the implementation of the commitments within the shortest possible time besides communicating the action to the Assembly Secretariat’.
The Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Estates, Finance, Forest, Health and Medical Education, Higher Education, Home, Industries and Commerce, Labour and Employment, Planning and Development, Revenue, Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports, Housing and Urban Development and Transport Departments have not furnished the Action Taken Reports in respect of the assurances pertaining to their departments contained in the 18th report of the Committee despite several reminders in this behalf by the Assembly Secretariat, the report pointed out.
Expressing displeasure over the issue, the Committee has impressed upon the Chief Secretary to intervene in the matter and issue strict directions to all the departments in order to ensure the furnishing of material sought on Government assurances within the stipulated timeframe prescribed under Rule 308-A of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
The pending assurances vis-à-vis CAPD Department pertain to setting up of more sales outlets of LPG gas in remote and far-off areas of the State, opening of ration sales outlets and fair price shops. Similarly, the main assurances of Finance Department, whose implementation has yet not received the required focus include implementation of recommendations of Finance Commission, opening of treasuries, opening of new branches of J&K Bank in far flung areas of the State etc.
The pending assurances of Forest Department include opening of new timber sale depots at different places, reconstruction of forest guest houses, regularization of daily rated workers in Forest Department while as pending assurances of Health and Medical Education Department include opening/upgradation of health centres, construction of trauma hospitals, providing of ambulances to the health institutions in remote and far off areas, overcoming shortage of staff in the health centres.
Identification of land and construction of colleges buildings, upgradation of GCET Jammu to the level of NIT, deployment of adequate manpower in educational institutions are some of the pending assurances pertaining to the Higher Education Department while as pending assurances of the Home Department pertain to special recruitment rallies, sanctioning of ex-gratia, enhancement of ration money of the police personnel, establishment of fire stations, increasing honorarium of SPOs/VDC members etc.
As far as Power Development Department is concerned, the pending assurances pertain to upgradation of receiving stations, extension of transmission lines, augmentation of transformers and improvement of HT/LT lines etc.
“It seems that assurances on the floor of the House have become a tool to avoid the urgent public issues otherwise Ministers, who are making commitments in the House should make officers of their respective departments accountable for the implementation of the same”, sources said, adding “instead of giving practical shape to their commitments the Ministers have left the task of evaluating action on their assurances to the Committee on Assurances only”.
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