EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Jan 8 : A delegation of panchayat members Tuesday called on the Chief Secretary Madav Lal and complained to him that they were not being consulted in execution of works in Khour block in Akhnoor.
Led by Vice Chairman of State Advisory Board for the Welfare and Development of Other Backward Classes (OBC), Kuldeep Raj Verma, the delegation of ten panches and sarpanches, alleged that they were not being consulted by the officials, who have been executing the work for model villages in Palanwala Clutter which includes 32 villages.
Levelling serious allegations of misappropriation of funds in the centrally sponsored works, like MGNREGA, the delegation alleged that the elected panchayat members were not being taken into confidence before the start of the work.
They alleged that works under IAY, a centrally sponsored scheme, the panchayat members were also not taken into the consideration, while demanding crop compensation for the 19 villages along the fence in Khour Block.
They told the CS that land ahead of fencing on border cannot be used for cultivation and the farmers should be given crop compensation for the losses they suffered due to non-tilling of their land, even on both state and custodian land. The delegation also took up the issue of de-mining of the areas which were mined by the army during Kargil war in 1999.
Madhav has assured them that he would look into the issue. Prominent among those who were the part of the delegation included sarpanchs Niku Ram Sharma of Upper Palawanwala, Om Prakash Sharma of Nairana Upper, Swaran Singh of Lower Planwala, Shamsher Singh of Gagdyal, Niku Ram Bhagat of Lower Pahari Wala, Lal Chand of Panj Toot, Bupinder Singh of Sarpanch Shajwal, Narayan Sharma of Malla Parod, and Dr Sita Ram of Bhagwan Chak. |
