STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Expressing grave concern over the loss of several hundreds of crores to the State which were withheld by the Union Government due to failure of the successive State Governments to hold timely elections to local bodies, Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP Chairman and former Minister, said that the lapse amounted to “maladministration” within the meaning and scope of Sec 2 of the J and K state Accountability Commission Act.
He said that non holding of local bodies elections was deliberate and politically motivated which had deprived the general masses of the developmental funds to which they were otherwise entitled.
He said that the government functionaries and the political class being squarely responsible for the losses sustained by the State, the State Accountability Commission was required to take suo motto cognisance of the deliberate delay caused by the concerned ministers and other helmsmen which has caused avoidable losses to the general public.
Singh that the 14th Finance Commission had provided a grant of Rs. 125.30 crore in the first instance for 2015-16 which however could not be availed and got lapsed due to governments failure to hold such elections.
He said earlier also Rs. 169.29 crores of funds under 13th Finance Commission for urban local bodies had lapsed for the same reason. Likewise around Rs. 200 crores proposed for 2016-17 under 14th Finance Commission and Rs. 197 crore for AMRUT scheme is also likely to set lapsed as government has no intentions to constitute Municipal bodies before March 2017. He deplored that the lackadaisical approach of the Govt. and the dirty politics played by coalition partners by postponing elections for political reasons was depriving the general masses and prospective beneficiaries of the benefits envisaged for them under various GOI schemes. He said that non holding of immediate elections would further deprive the state of ‘Performance Grant’ of Rs. 607 crore which had been assured by the 14th Finance Commission as additional grant in case the State fulfilled the benchmarks stipulated by it. Reminding the Govt. of the assurances doled out by it repeatedly for early holding of ULB elections, Harsh regretted the ‘in-explicable’ delay and repeated postponements of the same despite the state Elections Authorities having indicated their preparedness on scores of occasions. Flaying the dilly dally tactics of the State Government, he said the Coalition Government was to be blamed for poor delivery of basic civic services including water supply, sanitation sewage and solid waste management, maintenance of community assets, upkeep of roads, lanes, drains, footpaths, street lighting besides other facilities which were adversely affected by the delayed elections caused due to political expediencies of the alliance partners. He regretted that non constitution of Urban Local Bodies had not only caused financial loss to the State but had also enabled the Govt. to rule and administer the urban areas by proxy in the absence of grass root democratic institutions in the municipal areas. Harsh said that the State Government has not only been biased and prejudiced in ensuring time bound elections to the said bodies but has committed violations of legal provisions of Municipal Act and Municipal Corporation Acts in the process besides those of state Accountability Commission Act. Expressing serious concern over frequent postponements of elections, Singh appealed to the State Governor besides SAC to intervene so as to check further violations of legal provisions for vested political interests and to further ensure that the people were not deprived of their genuine democratic rights and aspirations.