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| Instead of holding Assembly polls, authorities to empower Panchayats | | Plan aims at empowering people, developing new leadership | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 3: Instead of taking steps to hold elections for the legislative assembly of the newly created Union Territory (UT) of J&K, authorities are working on plan to empower Panchayats to establish three-tier Panchayati Raj System like other parts of the country.
Credible sources in the corridors of power revealed that on the directions of Union Government, administration of UT of J&K has already formulated a plan to trickle down decision making power at the Panchayat level to fill the political vacuum created after dissolution of the legislative assembly. Authorities of UT have already started the process to allocate departments to the recently constituted Block Development Councils (BDCs) to check growing influence of bureaucracy. Social Welfare, Rural Development and Education departments are likely to be allocated to BDCs to empower Panchayat members.
Reports said that after successful completion of the BDCs elections, the government has set the ball rolling for District Development Councils (DDCs) polls to establish three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions in J&K like other parts of the country.
The administration has already started groundwork for DDCs elections to strengthen democratic institutions at the grass-root level.
First time in the history of J&K, BDC elections were held on October 24 this year thus completing the second tier of elections of Panchayati Raj Institutions in J&K.
While announcing BDC elections, which were boycotted by Congress, PDP and National Conference, the government had announced that it would be followed by DDC polls.
More than 26,000 electors had elected over 200 independent candidates while 81 candidates belonging to BJP were elected to the post of Chairperson in the first ever BDC polls.
Out of 316 blocks, the elections for chairmanship of BDCs were conducted on 280 blocks while 27 block councils were elected unopposed. The poll percentage for the 10 districts in the Kashmir region was 93.65 per cent and 99.4 per cent for the 10 districts in the Jammu region.
Sources said administration appears to be geared for DDCs' elections because authorities are encouraged by the over-whelming response in the recently held BDC elections.
By setting up three-tier Panchayati Raj system in J&K, government would involve commoner in the developmental activities in their respective areas to ensure transparency and accountability. |
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