*Framing House Panels mere wastage of taxpayers’ money
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 17: Non-cooperation with the Joint House Committee on Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex was just the tip of an iceberg as bureaucrats of the State have also been showing non-serious approach towards the recommendations of many other House Committees constituted by the State Legislature to deliberate on vital subjects. This has clearly established that framing of such panels of Legislators is merely wastage of tax-payers’ money.
This can be gauged from the fate of two important directions/recommendations of Committee on Environment and Committee on Subordinate Legislation constituted by the State Legislative Assembly. Though these recommendations assume much importance for the common masses yet the bureaucrats are not showing any seriousness in initiating follow-up action on the same.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the Committee on Environment comprising of 19 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in its report tabled during the Budget Session held at Srinagar in the month of June this year, had mentioned that extensive deliberations were held on the subject of violation of Motor Vehicle Act/Rules.
“The Committee had discussed the issue regarding the enhancement of the quantum of fine being imposed upon the violators under Motor Vehicle Act which was very nominal and could not serve as a deterrent upon the offenders”, sources said, adding “the Committee had suggested that the Transport Department should bring an amendment to enhance the amount of fine by amending the Act or the Rules”.
Even the Commissioner/ Secretary to the Government, Transport Department had admitted before the Committee that the law has to be very stringent to curb the tendency of violations which would happen if the amount of the fine was enhanced, sources said.
Moreover, the Committee on Environment had recommended that as many as 100 Pollution Checking Centers-at least 5 each in every district of the State shall be opened within a period of two months to check vehicular pollution.
However, none of these two vital recommendations of the Committee has been taken seriously by the Transport Department till date, sources said, adding “what to talk of implementing the suggestions even serious deliberations on steps required to be taken to translate these suggestions into reality have not been conducted by the department despite lapse of several months”.
“The non-serious approach in increasing the amount of fine under the Motor Vehicle Act is notwithstanding the fact that there is no reduction in the violations particularly by the operators of commercial vehicles in the length and breadth of Jammu and Kashmir, which are the main causes behind tragic road accidents claiming lives of large number of passengers”, sources regretted.
Similarly, the Committee on Subordinate Legislation comprising nine Members of Legislative Assembly in its report also tabled during the Budget Session held in the month of June this year had expressed serious concern over the unchecked menace of food adulteration and spurious drugs. “The Committee had observed in the report that mandate of combating food adulteration under relevant rules doesn’t seem to be fulfilled by the Drug and Food Control Organization to the extent it should have been”, sources informed.
Accordingly, the Committee had suggested that the rules pertaining to penal provision in the Food Safety and Standard Act should be amended in order to enhance the amount of fine/sentence so that it could serve as a deterrent as it has mostly been seen that the habitual offenders escape the clutches of law because of less sentence/nominal amount of fine.
“What to talk of implementing these suggestions, the senior functionaries of the Drug and Food Control Organization are even not aware of the report of the Committee on Subordinate Legislation”, sources regretted, adding “this indicates the level of non-seriousness towards the report of the House Committee, which otherwise assumes much importance for the common masses”.
“Similar is the fate of suggestion regarding establishment of at least one lab of the Drug and Food Control Organization in Ladakh region”, sources informed.
“It is pity that while road accidents and food adulteration/spurious drugs remain major area of concern for the common masses and their elected representatives, the same carry no importance for the bureaucrats”, sources rued, adding “what is the fun of constituting House Committees and spending tax payers money on their meetings and other activities when their reports are not to be taken seriously by the bureaucrats, who are the implementing authorities”.
When contacted, Drug Controller Lotika Khajuria fanned ignorance about the recommendations of Committee on Subordinate Legislation vis-à-vis amendment in the Food Safety and Standard Act/Rules to make fine and sentence stringent. “I have not gone through any such report or suggestion”, she remarked.
As far as amendments in Motor Vehicle Act/Rules are concerned, Commissioner/ Secretary to Government, Transport Department, Bipul Pathak admitted that amendments are imperative, adding “we will implement the Central Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act/Rules as concerns of the House Committee have already been taken care of in the same”. He, however, failed to specify any time-frame for this exercise.
About establishment of more Pollution Checking Centers, he said, “we are planning to rope in oil companies for such centers as performance of the existing ones established by the private persons is not up to the satisfaction”. He, however, admitted that more such centers are required to be opened to check vehicular pollution.
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