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| Panches, Sarpanches worried; likely to launch statewide agitation | | Empowerment of Panchayats | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 31: With the two coalition partners at loggerheads over the issue of empowerment of Panchayats, Panches and Sarpanches have begun worrying about their future and are mulling the option of launching an agitation.
Panches and Sarpanches have been pleading with government since the last 18 months for empowerment but are being denied the same on one pretext or the other.
And the ongoing tussle between National Conference (NC) and Congress has further vitiated the atmosphere. Both are pulling in different directions. NC is worried about Article 370 while Congress has to fulfill Late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's dream.
The battle is on while Panches and Sarpanches are endlessly waiting for empowerment. The Congress, which is Abdullah's partner in government, wants the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act to include the 73rd amendment to the Indian Constitution to empower the Panchayats. Abdullah has been resisting this.
Panchayats remain marginalized after the elections. Far from focusing on empowerment by enhancing the powers of village bodies either by amending Kashmir's Panchayati Raj Act of 1989 or by extending powers provided in the 73rd amendment in the Constitution of India, the state government has instead used the local self-government institutions, the 2011 elections and the elected representatives as mere symbols of return of permanent clam to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. .
People have begun saying that the current coalition government conducted the 2011 Panchayat elections in a hurry. The hastiness was evident from the lack of awareness of both, the contestants and the voters, regarding their rights and responsibilities, which define the true functioning of the Panchayat in any region.
A state having little knowledge of Panchayati Raj Institutions was rushed into participating in a process that requires more than just the counting of votes. Many considered it to be a perfect method to annihilate the infamous tradition of protests by stone pelting that paralyzes the state for months together.
But the very idea of sharing powers, as also the ensuing 'problems' expected is not acceptable to many legislators in the state. Devolution of powers to Panchayats means sharing authority - an idea that does not go down well with members of the Assembly, irrespective of political affiliations.
These members fail to understand that a well-functioning Panchayat is one of the key tools of democracy to help resolve people's problems. The insecure legislators must start thinking about their state first keeping all of their personal benefits aside. Panchayats allow local representation of people - they themselves get a firsthand experience of the problems faced by the villagers and understand their requirements.
And now, adding to the already vulnerable Panchayats, threats from the militant groups have raised doubts over their successful governance in a region where conflict has been a part of its history.
A stronger relationship between the government and these local representatives could have altered its fate where trust between the two would not have allowed the Panchayat Members to give up in the face of threats.
It needs to be reiterated that Panchayat elections were conducted in Jammu and Kashmir over 17 phases between April and June 2011. These elections were most comprehensive polls since the outbreak of militancy in the state. That nearly 80% of the voters exercised their franchise in the party-less polls for the Panchayats was a clear indication that the people continue to have huge expectations from government and local self-government institutions for better delivery of services.
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