Govt order of placing DDC members at bottom of precedence list a cruel joke: Monga

Srinagar/March,9 : Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (J&K  PCC) Vice President and former MLC G N Monga Monday termed the J&K government’s order of pacing DDC chairmen, vice-chairmen and members at bottom of precedence list as a cruel joke with these newly elected public representatives.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday he asked the BJP government where has its claims of empowering grass-roots level democratic institutions gone? “The BJP government used to claim that they the DDCs will become new units of grass-roots level democracy in J&K. But instead of encouraging them, they are being discouraged through orders like issued yesterday,” Monga said.
“How can these elected bodies work for the people when they don’t have enough authority? How can they come up to the expectations of their voters when they have been degraded?” the Congress leader questioned.
“Before the elections, the government had promised that the DDC chairmen will have MoS ranks, even the mayors of municipal corporations have MoS rank. Why have they disempowered then now? Also the honorarium fixed for DDC chairmen, vice-chairmen and members is meager. They should be paid sufficient honorarium,” he demanded.
Urging the Government to make necessary changes in the precedence list so that the DDC chairmen, vice-chairmen and members have enough authority to work for the welfare of people, Monga said, “Congress party is committed to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) at all levels and it will not allow the BJP to undermine the authority of these institutions for personal political benefits.”