Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 16: All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayats Conference (AJKPC), president, Anil Sharma today demanded to extend term of existing Panchayats in J&K by two years.
Addressing a press conference here today, AJKPC president along with other office bearers today strongly pleaded for extending term of the existing Panchayats in J&K by at least two more years and hold Panchayat elections in January 2026. He said the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha must take a call and grant extension in the term of Panchayat units in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
While justifying his point, Sharma said that the term of existing Panchayats in J&K will be expiring in November-Dec 2023 and there are rumours that the Government may dissolve the existing Panchayats even before the due date and this is not acceptable to the Panchayat members and they will strongly oppose it.
He said due to Covid pandemic for two years between 2020-2021 and prior to that after abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, the entire J&K remained badly affected, for a nearly total period of about 30 months. Therefore, the existing term be extended at least for two years if not 30 months.
Sharma further informed that under 73rd Amendment of the Constitution of India, all the three tiers of the Panchayats should have co-terminus and as the term of the District Development Councils shall end in 2025 therefore, there is no logic to end the term of the Panchayats prior to that.
Prominent among those present in the conference included– Des Raj Bhagat, Ram Saroop Sharma, Jatinder Singh, Pawan Slathia, Gulzar Ahmed, S Ravinder Singh, Ramesh Lal, Parveen Choudhary and others.
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