Shadow Correspondent
JAMMU, FEB 14:
Rejecting the ongoing delimitation of panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir as a politically motivated process, Provincial President National Conference Mr Devender Singh Rana on Tuesday sought an empowered Delimitation Commission headed by a retired judge of the High Court to reorganize the Panchayats and their Wards in a time bound manner. “The current process being carried out by lower rung officials of the rural development is just a farce and mockery of democracy”, Mr Rana said while addressing a press conference at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan this afternoon. He said the government should go ahead with the conduct of Panchayat elections as per schedule but the hush hush manner in delimiting these units would be strongly resisted.
He blamed the PDP-BJP combine for trampling the spirit of three-tier democracy by weakening the grass roots level decision making institutions as per a sinister political strategy. Not only the Panchayats and wards are being redrawn as per political expediencies of the ruling alliance but the ultimate decision has been left to lower level functionaries of the rural development department, he said, adding that this move has evoked immense resentment in rural areas.
The Provincial President also referred to illogical reference point of 2011 Census for carrying out delimitation of Panchayats even as 2017 legal and duly notified voter lists were available. He called for making 2017 voter lists as referral point for redrawing Panchayats and Wards by way of delimitation. “We vociferously demand that 2017 base datum to be made referral point”, he said.
Prominent among those present in the press conference included State Vice Presidents Mr Rattan Lal Gupta and Th Kashmira Singh, Provincial Youth National Conference President Mr Ajaz Jan, former legislators Dr Chaman Lal, Sheikh Bashirm Mr Rahim Daad and Mrs Deepinder Kour, Provincial Vice Presidents Mr Gurdeep Singh Sasan, Choudhry Haroon and Mr Anil Dhar, Provincial Spokesperson Mr Madan Mantoo and Add Spokesperson Mr S S Bunty, Co Chairperson OBC Cell Mr Abdul Gani Teli besides Mr Pradeep Bali, Mr Dharamveer Singh Jamwal, Mrs Dilshad Malik, Mr Saraf Singh Nag, Mr Pyare Lal, Ms Komal Manhas and others.
