Presence of corrupt politicians in Panchayats, ULBs

Governor talking of change through panchayat institutions with focus on efficient governance and development is yet to cleanse the administration from the deadly corrupt bureaucrats who are occupying key positions despite Jammu & Kashmir High Court directing J&K Government not to put such officers on sensitive positions. As regards the Governor’s claim on development and efficient governance, the dilapidates roads in city centre paints a dismal picture of the working of R&B department which instead of carrying out a phase wise full macadamisation of roads in Srinagar city is restricting its road repair and construction work to just patch work on main roads including the Airport road from Rambagh to main entrance gate of the airport. Though governor’s claim that people are tired of turmoil and show interest in development and efficient government is a debatable issue but the only undisputed fact is that people are tired of dismal working of the government and government’s repeated tinkering with the key legislations concerning special status of the state. The governor’s only undisputed remark is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election with a thumping majority has generated hopes of a path breaking political initiative for restoration of peace and normalcy in the state and the conduct of early assembly elections for return of popular rule could be the beginning of Prime Minister’s major political outreach in the state . The panchayat institutions and municipal bodies established last year through an election process boycotted by National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) two largest regional mainstream parties of the state, have become the attractions of political defections as more than a dozen corporators have already moved an application before the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state for the removal of Dy Mayor Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) after his defection to a particular political party.
Interesting point to note is that while Governor Satya Pal Malik talks about a full scale war against corrupt and the corruption, the newly established Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has last week registered a case concerning recovery of bank loan against Dy Mayor Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Governor who talks about building panchayat raj institutions and municipal bodies in the state can be asked that can the urban local system of governance be built by the corporators against whom corruption cases are registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau which Chief Secretary of the state saying that Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is now the most powerful anti-graft body in the state. In the presence of corrupt the urban local bodies and panchayats can’t be built strong enough to function as the powerful public institutions.