Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 6: Mayor Jammu, Rajinder Sharma today said Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) which ceased to be a Department as per new amendment has been elevated to the level of Executive Decision Making Body now.
“Under Section 40 Sub Section III of JMC Act all powers of establishment, approval of budget, action plans, staffing matters, housing , relief, approval of contracts above Rs. one crore etc are vested with the Executive Committee with Mayor at the helm,” Sharma said adding, “Whatever the Executive Committee approves has to be implemented and adopted by the employees of JMC.”
The Mayor also said that if some employee challenges some order of the Executive Committee that shall simply be a challenge to the authority of JMC as the same has been enshrined in JMC Act 2000.
The Mayor was chairing Finance and Planning Committee meeting of JMC today.
For bringing transparency and accountability in JMC, the Mayor constituted a three Member Committee with Joint Commissioner, Works, Joint Commissioner Administration and Joint Commissioner Enforcement and Revenue as its members.
He said that the empanelled agencies will submit the panel of NGO/contractual employees needed by JMC and final selection from this panel will be made by this Committee.
“This is a big step in itself to bring transparency and accountability in the Urban Local Body,” the Mayor said.
The meeting took a strict note of the hue and cry raised by the opposition Councillors of JMC regarding 40 backdoor appointments in the Urban Local Body and cleared that all such allegations were baseless. JMC has not appointed anybody. It has just outsourced manpower from contractors which are need based and these can be disenguaged any time without notice. Moreover, majority of these were outsourced for managing Panjtirthi parking which is being auctioned now. All of them will be disengaged.
“Those who raised hue and cry, are members of that Committee,” the Mayor said adding, “How can a member of a Committee be ignorant of what he had approved”.
Joint Commissioner Administration read out orders passed by previous Finance and Planning Committee meetings.
It was also discussed in the meeting that local contractors be given priority for economy vibrancy in Jammu and Kashmir to prevent economy drain.
Among other things that came under discussion were that tenders for repair of water coolers in the city should be opened soon so that people may have cold drinking in coming summers.
The Mayor said what used to be spent in 75 Wards is now spent on a single Ward and this is the benefit of a Corporation.
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