SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Movement (JKPRM) Thursday accused some political parties of attempting to ‘hijack’ newly elected DDC members with intensions to gain political mileage by using them as political ‘pawns’.
Addressing a press conference here, JKPRM president, Ghulam Hassan Panzoo asked all political parties not to link local self-government representatives with politics and let them work independently for the welfare of people.
Panzoo asserted that some political parties have been attempting to take control over newly elected DDC members and use them as political ‘pawns’. He said JKPRM alone had fielded around 140 candidates in recently concluded DDC polls out of which 120 emerge as winners.
“Some political parties have constantly been attempting to take control over newly elected DDC members to gain political mileage by using them as political pawns. We urge them not to link them with politics and let them work independently,” Panzoo said.
He also appealed the government to set up common Panchayat courts comprising of five elected representatives in one out of every five villages, besides creating a post of District Development Commissioner in every district.
Panzoo said the Panchayat members be also given powers of Session Judge and Munsiff’s so that thousands of pending cases are disposed of on local level.
JKPRM president also urged the government to ‘enhance’ monthly honorariums of elected Block Development and District Development Council members and the ‘powers’ vested in them be cleared so that there would be no contradiction between them and the representatives of Legislative Assembly in future.
“It seems the government has not yet devised any policy to create Panchayat courts. We urge government to establish common Panchayat courts in one out of every five villages so that thousands of pending cases are disposed of on local level,” he said adding monthly honorarium of DDCs and BDCs be increased and the powers vested in them be cleared.
