Diplomat Correspondent
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Border Area Development Conference (JKBADC) has demanded that the Jammu and Kashmir Government must announce a clear and fixed timeline for Panchayat elections in the Union Territory.
The BADC organization stated that the term of Panches, Sarpanches and Block level developmental councils have expired over a year ago, yet there is no announcement by the government to conduct Panchayat Polls.
Dr Shazad Ahmed Malik, Chairman JKBADC and former vice chancellor said that Panchayats are the first and most important level of democracy and depriving people of their elected representatives is not only a statutory violation but also against the spirit of the Constitution. Due to the long delay in elections people are facing many problems in their daily life.
The BADC Chairman remarked that development developmental works in villages have slowed down badly in the absence of elected Panchayat representatives. Issues related to village roads, drinking water, electricity and sanitation are not being addressed properly by the bureaucrats. People have no elected representatives to approach for their local issues and grievances.
He noted that the situation is even worse in border areas as border residents depend a lot on Panchayats to raise their problems. The former vice chancellor also demanded a fixed timeline for Urban Local Bodies elections.
He also demanded that all pending formalities like delimitation and reservation should be completed at an earliest so that both Panchayat and ULB elections can be held without further delay.DD