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| City residents wonder if municipal polls too will be distant dream….! | | Cancellation of BDC election | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 18: While NC-Congress coalition Government has yet to announce the time bound election to Block Development Council, it seems election to Urban Bodies too will remain a distant dream for the populace living in cities and Town Area Committees of Jammu and Kashmir.
On Friday, the State Government cancelled/postponed much awaited elections to Block Development Council citing reasons to incorporate certain amendments recommended by the core committee of the coalition partners. The recommendations mostly from the ally partner-Congress party included proper reservation for SC/ST and women lot of the State. However, both the coalition partners maintained silence as by what time period it will hold the election to BDC, afresh.
Following this, now, the city residents of both Jammu as well as Srinagar Municipal Corporations besides inhabitants of various Town Area Committees and Notified Area Committees are in state of confusion whether they too will see the same fate as it recently witnessed in the rural areas.
Pertinent to mention here that the urban local bodies' elections were due in 2010 but had to be postponed with Government citing reason of the summer agitation in the Kashmir valley. The Government had planned to hold these elections early this year but put off the polls in view of heavy tourism rush to the Valley.
However, whatever are the reasons with the coalition Government, but the fact is that the delay in holding the elections has translated into loss of hundreds of crores to the State in Central assistance under various schemes meant for development of urban areas.
The delay in holding elections to Urban Local Bodies too has brought the coalition partners under severe criticism. Number of former Corporators as well as other persons interesting in contesting the municipal polls have pointed fingers over the tall claims of good governance by Omar led NC-Congress coalition.
Lambasting the State Government for its alleged persistent policy of delay and deny in the matter of holding of Urban Local Bodies elections in the State, several former Corporators have stated that the elections to Urban Local Bodies which were due in early 2010 have been inordinately and inexplicably delayed by more than two years with the Government coming out with lame excuses on several occasions.
They further added that non holding of elections has deprived the State of Central funding worth hundreds of crore which has been declined by the Union Government on account of failure of State Government to constitute the said municipal bodies. "The State Government has not only been apathetic and negligent in ensuring time bound elections to the said bodies but has committed violations of legal provisions of Municipal Act and Municipal Corporation Acts in the process. They must complete their homework before indulging into public announcements," pointed out the Corporators further questioning, "Will Omar led coalition will announce specific and time bound polls or will it continue to befool the people of the State after every short time periods?" |
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