Mudassir Ahmad
SRINAGAR: Despite the centre's refusal of releasing state's share in funds, the Jammu and Kashmir government is undecided about holding Panchayat and Urban Local bodies polls, to pave way for availing benefits of various union governments' programmes.
The centre has turned down the Jammu and Kashmir government's request of releasing Rs 1,000 crore citing absence of elected municipal bodies in the state.
The centre has withheld funds around Rs 1,000 crore for the last seven years that was budgeted to the state, a senior official of the Housing and Urban Development said.
Official sources said the state government had requested the centre several times to release the Rs 1000 crore for urban local bodies of the state as an exceptional case that the situation was not conducive in the valley to hold polls for the past many years.
As the civic polls could not be held since 2011, the official said the state government had again requested the centre last year and then again in January this year to release these funds for developmental works.
“The centre told the state government recently that these funds can't be released in view of non-holding of urban local bodies'polls in J&K,” the official said. “The state will lose further funds if elected municipal bodies are not in place.”
The centre has budgeted around Rs 1300 crore to the centre as per the 14th Finance Commission Awards from 2015-2020.
Official sources, said the ULBs were entitled for Rs 350 crores during 2016-2017. These funds were not provided to the state in absence of elected municipalities.
Similarly, the state is set to lose Rs over 250 crore during 2017-2018 if elections are not held in this year.
The state is entitled for such funds only when elected municipality bodies are in place that had ceased to exist in March 2010. Since then the government has failed to hold these polls.
Earlier, the ULB polls were held in J&K after a span of 23-years in January 2005.
Similarly, the government has failed to hold Panchayat polls in the state. An official said that government has decided to put both the polls on hold. “Panchayat polls may be held earlier next year if situation remains conducive,” the official said. “But it is undecided so far.”
He said, “Government is considering to hold panchayat elections in Jammu and Ladakh first,” he added. “It all depends on the response of the state government which is undecided about these polls so far.”
The state election office can't take the decision on panchayat and civic polls in Jammu and Kashmir unless gets a nod from the state government in absence of State Election Commission.
The panchayats completed their term in July last year. Elections to panchayats were last held in April-May 2011 during Omar Abdullah led National Conference-Congress regime after a gap of 37 years. The government postponed these polls for several times in the last one year.
