KD Desk
Verinag, Apr 10 : Congress on Saturday held mega Panchyat “Conference” at Omoh in Veerinag area of Anantnag District to review the current developmental scenario, besides the outcome of Back to village events and many other developmental issues concerning people, at grassroots level.
According to a statement issued to Kashmir Despatch JKPCC aiming to receive feedback of Sarpanchs and Panchs held threadbare discussions on the developmental issues concerning people, blaming the Govt for failing to empower PRIs, besides addressing the rising unemployment, unprecedented price hike and may other issues of public importance, which were being ignored by the Govt.
JKPCC President Ghulam Ahmad Mir presided over the mega panchayat conference while Vice Presidents former ministers Mula Ram, Raman Bhalla, Ex-MLAs Haji Ab. Rashid Dar, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Hari Singh Chib and various other senior leaders of the party addressed the mega panchayat conference.
Mir received feedback from Sarpanchs and Panchs with regard to current developmental scenario especially the functioning of panchayats, besides the outcome of back to village events held earlier in J&K.
The massive conference of Sarpanchs and Panchs was part of 45 days programme (Congress Panchayat Ki Aur) apprised the leadership in detail on the outcome of the Back to village events held earlier and the fate of its decisions as well as the recommendations made to various departments for addressing the issues highlighted during these events for which these events were launched at village level across J&K.
The Panchayat conference regretted that nothing substantial was achieved, though many recommendations and directions were passed prioritizing issues at village for their resolution, but they met the same fate as other decisions taken in the past and present by the Govt.
The participants also apprised the leadership about various other issues such as MGNREGA, implementation of various Govt schemes, construction of roads, PMY(Prime Minister Awas Youjana) and many other developmental works, which have not been taken up for implementation, besides the payments against the work done were also withheld, sans the logic of holding back to village events, which was indicative of failure of the Govt in mitigating the problems and coming upto the expectations of the people.
JKPCC President and other senior leaders also held discussions over many other issues of public importance, observing that functioning of Panchayats and outcome of B2V events have miserably failed, as that, both seems to have proved just as an event and not beyond that like other promises due to policies adopted by the Govt.
Addressing the Mega Panchayat conference, Mir expressed deep concern over the outcome of B2V events, saying that these have proved to be mere time consuming, whilst the outcome has remained zero given the ground situation, Mir said.
They (Sarpanchs and Panchs) were directly connected with the B2V events especially PRIs, for which they have been chosen, regretting that people have once again been befooled on so called B2V events and empowerment of PRIs, as that, there was no development to be seen on the ground as guaranteed under Panchayati Raj act, for the fact, these (PRIs) were not being allowed to function freely, Mir said.
The feedback received from the Sarpanchs and Panchs were disappointing Mir said and blamed the Govt for undermining the authority of democratic institutions, which were directly connected with grass root and deserves to be strengthened further rather than weakening them on one pretext or the other aiming to hide its (Govt’s) failures.
Panchayats need to be allowed to function in a smooth manner, as they hold the key to development at grass roots, Mir added and questioned as to why the B2V event have failed to deliver after involving entire Govt machinery especially the common people and Govt departments who have been assigned the job to resolve the issues concerning their respective departments, JKPCC President said.
Congress has recently initiated a 45 days programme as “Panchayat Ki Aur” to review the developmental scenario, saying that rank and file of the Congress party would reach the nook and corner of J&K to review the development in the village, Mir said.
Addressing the massive panchayat conference Former Minister & Vice President Mula Ram blamed the Govt for misleading people on false promises, while as poor becoming poorer due to the economic slowdown and lack of developmental, besides abandoning them of their rights especially on economic and employment front etc and urged the sarpanchs and panchs to feel strong and continue to work with great enthusiasm for the development of their respective for which they were mandated.
Addressing the conference, Raman Bhalla lashed out at both Centre and State Govt for undermining the authority of PRIs and emphasized the Sarpanchs and Panchs to rise to the occasion to highlight the falsehood and wrong policies of the Govt.
Bhalla also hit out at Govt for unprecedented price hike on petrol diesel and cooking gas and said people have been pushed to wall, despite hue and cry in the country, Centre Govt has not responded to people’s concerns, so far, which was indicative of its dictatorial attitude and wrong policies towards the people.
He said the developmental process started in J&K by UPA I UPA II has suffered setback under BJP Govt, people have realized that BJP Govt was only making promise rather than taking measures to address their concerns, Bhalla rued.
