Elections on vacant Panchayat seats: Panchayat bodies release manifestos to garner support for candidates

Suhail Khan
SRINAGAR, Sep 21(KINS): As Jammu and Kashmir government has kicked off the process for holding elections to vacant Panchayat and Block Development Council (BDC) seats in the union territory, the Panchayat bodies have started releasing their manifestos to garner support for their candidates.
The administration has constituted 14- member apex level and two divisional level committees for holding elections in the union territory. The Apex Committee will be headed by Principal Secretary to government, home department. It will draw a roadmap and detailed schedule for the conduct of Panchayat and BDC elections with a special focus on security, logistics, and other aspects.
A Panchayat body J&K Local Bodies Panch Sarpanch Association headed by Moulvi Tariq has released the manifesto for the polls.
“J&K Local Bodies Panch Sarpanch association would look into streaming proper sanitation and garbage handling thus promoting the concept of smart cities. Association would give top priority to the urgent requirement of maintaining lanes and drains properly. Association would ensure proper street lightening across the ward/Halqas including strategic lighting wherever required,” the manifesto reads, a copy of which lies with news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The manifesto says that association would streamline the requirement of taking precautionary steps for taking mosquito menace and controlling dangerous situations like Corona, Dengue and Malaria etc.
“Association fully understands and respects the urgent requirement to have recreational club in every ward/Halqa for senior citizens of J&K. It would give enough emphasis for constructing community halls across the local urban ruler areas representing the wards/Halqas so that social and cultural requirements of citizens is met. Association would propagate the new concept of developing urban ruler living suitable for modern needs thus beautifying and developing urban ruler areas of Jammu and Kashmir,” it says.
As per the manifesto, the association would provide suitable employment by easing the licence system needed for small business.
It says that association would work for making building permissions for commercial and residential areas hassle free, by simplifying the digital procedures required.
“Association would work extensively to convert all centre sponsored projects into reality for the benefit of respected citizens of urban ruler areas of Jammu and Kashmir. Association would work for promoting health facilities in the wards, Halqas like evening clinics for the citizens”.
“The concept of having toilets in the wards, Halqas in urban ruler areas thus further boosting the mission open free defecation in the scale. Association commits to have the offices of BDCs, LBCs corporaters, sarpanch’s in their respective sigments for the help out citizens to register their suggestions and complaints and suggestion box would be placed in the wards, Halqas at various places for the needful,” it reads.
Jammu and Kashmir administration held Panchayat elections in November 2018 after delaying it for more than two years. The election, which saw a voter turnout of 74 percent, left 11639 Panch and 1,011 Sarpanch seats vacant in Jammu and Kashmir.
As many as 22,214 Panches and 3,459 Sarpanches were elected.
National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party had boycotted the Panchayat elections.
Earlier this year, Jammu and Kashmir administration had announced that the elections to vacant seats in the newly-formed Union territory of J&K would be held from March 5 this year.
However, the polls were postponed citing security reasons.(KINS)