Srinagar/Aug,15: Governor N N Vohra On Wednesday said that not confrontation but only dialogue leads to resolutions. Addressing I-Day parade at S K Cricket Satdium at Sonwar Srinagar Vohra said that only dialogue is the only way out as a confrontational approach will never lead to any resolution.
“To pull the state out of the prevailing environment of suspicion, fear, distrust and growing cynicism, it is of crucial that all stakeholders; whatever be their political convictions or religious ideologies; close ranks and muster the courage to accept that our problems can be resolved only through dialogue and discussion and by making sustained sincere efforts towards promoting reconciliation and communal harmony,” he said. “As we have seen for ourselves, such approaches have only generated vested interests which have fractured our society and severely damaged our centuries-old syncretic values and traditions,” he said.
The governor appealed to the leaders of all political parties in the state, and to those at the helm of various social, cultural, religious and other influential organisations, to ponder seriously over what had been gained from the endless turmoil, the continuing human and economic losses and the sufferings which the people have been undergoing over the past several decades. “It also needs being recognised that the activities of all those whose sole objective has been to stoke unrest have resulted only in branding our state with a negative profile which has discouraged tourism, external investments and adversely affected the economic advancement,” he said.
He also declared that the municipal and panchayat polls in the state, which have not been organised for several years, will be held from September this year. He said elections to urban local bodies will take place in September-October while the phased panchayat polls will be held in October-December. The last panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2011. The urban local body elections have not been held for nearly eight years. “Soon after assuming responsibility, the governor’s administration has taken the required steps for organising elections to panchayats and municipalities. Necessary amendments to the existing laws have already been made and speedy action is underway to gear-up the administrative and logistical arrangements for undertaking both these elections,” he said. “Elections to urban local bodies and panchayats have been pending for long. The prolonged delay in the establishment of democratically-elected self-governing bodies at the grassroots level in urban and rural areas has resulted in the loss of considerable funds which would have become available if elections had been held,” Vohra said in his I-Day speech at S K Cricket Stadium here.“This would, in turn, pave the way for the restoration of peace and normalcy and enable the state to take on bigger challenges,” he added.
The governor, who took the reins of Jammu and Kashmir following the fall of the PDP-BJP government on June 19, said it had been his unflinching endeavour to see that the entire administrative apparatus, from the village level up to the state secretariat, functioned with promptitude, efficiency and complete accountability.
“My three advisers, the chief secretary and I have been working to infuse the governmental machinery with the required zeal to perform effectively and deliver efficient services to all the people in our state,” Vohra added.
For resolving outstanding issues delaying the implementation of development works and delivery of welfare programmes, the governor’s administration has been continuously engaged in reviewing the functioning of every department, he said.
“The first priority of the governor’s administration is to ensure the maintenance of public order and to see that the entire administrative apparatus functions with speed and efficiency. Among the many problems facing us, there is a huge requirement of funds for securing the completion of scores of projects all over the state.
“Side by side, the services of a very large number of workers, not all of whom may have been inducted against available vacancies or after following the due processes, need to be urgently examined for appropriate decisions. It is also necessary to ensure that all those who get paid from the state exchequer report timely for work and perform their tasks with due diligence,” the governor said. He said the administration was working assiduously to ensure that the resources available under the Prime Minister’s Development Package of Rs 80,000 crore for the state and under the various pan-India flagship schemes were efficiently utilised.
