Last Updated on March 13, 2021 at 3:10 pm
After District Development Council (DDC), now Panchayat and Block Development Council (BDC) members have also demanded that similar powers and position in protocol must be granted to them in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a letter shot off to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Shafiq Mir Chairman, All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference has said Panches, Sarpanches and BDC chairpersons of Jammu and Kashmir have some serious concerns and reservations about the government’s intention of conferring powers and protocol to only DDC members and their chairpersons.
“The majority of people elected in first two tiers of Jammu Kashmir Panchayats are non political people because all the political parties had boycotted to the first two tier elections held in 2018 and 2019. However, despite the boycott of all political parties people took part in the elections and majority of non political people got elected in the first two tiers. So empowering only third and political tier will only be an injustice with the general public who had taken part in these elections at a crucial time when all the political parties had boycotted these elections” Mir said.
He further wrote in the letter that their only demand is that before conferring any protocol and powers to the DDC members and chairmen, “government will have to keep in mind the powers and protocol of the first two tiers which comprises Panchayats and Block Development Councils”.
