news details |
|
|
| The resolution adopted by legislative council on funds | | | Autonomous Hill Council for the Chenab valley region, reflects the growing aspirations of people and for devolution of powers. Though the resolution was adopted for the first time by the House the demand has been in circulation for the last over two decades. Actually the author of this demand has been Sheikh Abdul Rehman who, when member of the Assembly, would not lose any opportunity in projecting the demand. For the last several years the demand for Autonomous Hill Council has surfaced in Poonch and Rajouri districts. In fact people and their leaders belonging to the districts of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch and Rajouri have realised that the areas they inhabit have remained neglected. The people of these areas were motivated to raise the demand for establishment of Autonomous Hill Development Councils by the winds of change that swept Leh and Kargil regions. Actually demand for separate development councils, regional councils or even separate
legislatures is the product of inequitable distribution of development funds. This imbalance of funds has led to slow progress of the hilly areas in all the sectors of agriculture, industries, horticulture, floriculture, health, education etc. During the last over 30 years the Jammuites have been demanding statehood status for the region only when they have experienced discrimination of the region in every respect. Jammu region is getting a raw deal in comparison to the Kashmir valley in every sphere. The way the Autonomous Hill Council resolution got through indicated that both the NC and the Congress lent support to it. And those who were opposed to it preferred to keep silent. When the NC member, Khalid Najeeb Sohrawardhy pressed for vote he knew that it will not be defeated. The NC had got its autonomy resolution adopted by the state legislature a decade ago but till date it has not been implemented. Constitutional experts are of the opinion that mere adoption of a resolution by either one House or both the Houses does not make it mandatory for the Government to ensure its implementation. They say there is a procedure. The members should move a Bill so that while adopting it necessary amendments are carried out in the state constitution. Once a Bill was adopted by the state legislature it becomes mandatory for the Government to implement the provisions and the demands listed in the Bill. Critics of the movers of the resolution say that the National Conference and all those who supported the resolution simply played political pranks. They say had the ruling coalition been serious on the issue it should have moved a Bill
for seeking amendment to the constitution for the purpose of establishing Hill Development Councils not only for the districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban but for Poonch and Rajouri districts too. By securing adoption of a resolution seeking establishment of an Autonomous Hill Development Council the movers were simply giving encouragement to those forces that are for the balkanisation or bifurcation of the state. It would have been better if the National Conference leadership would have asked Khalid Sohrawardy not to press for adoption.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
