What seems to be a deliberate move to counter the directions of people’s elected Chief Minister of J&K UT, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, who happens to be the Chancellor of Jammu University, has given three years’ extension to Prof Umesh Rai, the Vice-Chancellor of the varsity recently.
It is pertinent to mention that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has recently issued directions to completely ban re-employment, extensions, additional charges and attachments, except under extraordinary circumstances. Although the order by the CM Omar was specifically for those coming under the jurisdiction of the UT’s General Administration Department, the idea behind this move was more or less meant for bringing in transparency and combat favouritism.
This was not enough because the LG Sinha’s office has also extended the tenure of SKUAST-Kashmir Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nazir Ganaie for two more years. Such contrary decisions by the LG’s office highlight the ongoing ‘tussle’ between the Chief Minister’s office and the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) administration. For sure, this move by the LG at odds with Omar Abdullah’s position has sparked tensions between the two governing authorities, one led by an elected representative, and the other by a central government-appointed entity.
The ongoing undeclared conflict between these parallel governments in J&K raises significant concerns about governance and institutional functioning. The conflicting decisions on matters such as extensions suggest a lack of cohesive governance, which may ultimately dent the effective delivery of public services and policies. What matters in this whole gamut is the effect on the population of the region as it has been caught in the middle of this mêlée where LG Sinha and CM Omar seem to be at loggerheads and people in a fix. Still there is a time that people sitting at helm should work in tandem by adopting a unified approach to governance which lately has become critical for the region’s development and the well-being of citizens.
The issue of giving extensions to the aforesaid VCs was no doubt prerogative of the LG of J&K for he being the Head of the aforesaid higher seats of education but the message which has been percolated in the region is not much promising and pragmatic. As opposing stances of the people heading the Union Territory give very wrong signal to the people, who are looking at these entities with high hopes that they will satiate their aspirations like never before.
