Panchayat Elections in next few months: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar: Stating that the present unrest hampered the process to hold the polls for local bodies, the Chief minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday announced that the Panchayat elections would be held in next few months.

“My government is committed to Panchayat Elections. Though, the law and order situation in Valley has hampered the process, yet government is determined to move ahead in this regard and hold elections to Panchayats in next few months”, told a public gathering in Inshan Warwan, a village in Kishtwar district of Jammu.

Omar said devolution of power to the lower level was imperative to implement the development plans successfully as per the requirement of the people in the particular areas.

The Chief Minister said that State Government was presently losing Rs. 350 crores annually for not having Panchayats in place. “There is urgent need to have Panchayats in place and catapult the development in rural areas”, Omar was quoted as saying by an official spokesman in a statement send to .

The Chief Minister said that State Government also envisages to establish small hydro electric power stations of about 2 MW capacities in the far-off areas under the centrally sponsored New and Renewable Energy Programme. “These would be handed over to Panchayats for running and maintenance for which government will provide the expertise”, he added.

Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah also launched the on spot police recruitment drive for far-flung and backward areas in the remote area of Warwan, announcing similar drives in other such areas under a phased programme.

A team of senior police officers under the supervision of Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda conducted the recruitment on spot and completed the selection process today itself.

Giving details of the drives, the Chief Minister said that police department would continue to make such recruitment drive in other far-off areas.

Omar Abdullah said that his government has reduced the qualification criterion for the engagement of youth in police department from Matric to Middle for the areas like Warwan, Dachan, Gurez, Tangdhar, Keran, etc. “The middle pass youth in the backward areas will also be eligible to be engaged under the new engagement policy for casual labours recently announced by the government. A target of employing 50,000 youth has been fixed under this policy”, he maintained.

The Chief Minister said that government was mulling a comprehensive programme of providing helicopter service to all the remote areas in the State. “A proposal has already been preferred to the Center Government for helping the State to procure its own 20-seater helicopters for launching the service especially in winter months in the cut off areas”, he said till that time the helicopters from Air Force will be hired wherever required. He expressed the hope that the Centre Government led by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will clear the helicopter service scheme proposed by the State Government early so that people in far-flung and remote areas get benefited.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a bridge and two roads in the area constructed at a cost of about Rs. 6 crores with the technical help of engineering unit of the Army. The Rs. 3.92 crores 60 meter span motorable bridge on river Inshan and over Rs. 2 crore two road projects of 11.25 kms and 7 kms distance respectively will benefit 40,000 people of the area, the Chief Minister also inaugurated Forest Check Post at Inshan in Marwah Forest division.