Sir,
This has reference to the news item ‘Panchayat polls on time in April, Local Bodies to get powers DE Oct 13.
The Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed’s assurance that the election of Panchayats and other local bodies will be held on time is more than welcome. The election to local bodies is over due, and needs to be conducted at an earliest possible date so that people facing civic problems can be addressed without further loss of time.
The Panchayati Raj Institutions suffered the most. It was expected that the PRIs would get strengthend after the previous Government had assured when elections were held after the NC Government led by Omar Abdullah assumed office. But soon after elections were held, PRIs received a setback. Many Sarpanches, and Panches were killed by militants, and as a consequence of it many resigned. The PRIs also received a raw deal from the Government when they were not given financial powers.
The whole process of conducting elections for these institutions proved a futile exercise, as no result oriented development activities could be undertaken during that time.
Hope, the present dispensation may not disappoint people on this front.
Yours etc….
Anil Anand
Jammu
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