As we have been witnessing it during last one and a half year that institutional, constitutional and administrative changes enforced during last one and a half year are increasing the governance deficit instead of reducing it and one such such recent decision of the Jammu & Kashmir Government is the shifting of the administrative control of PHE Divisions of the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division from PHE department to municipal bodies bodies,i.e, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and municipal committees and councils of the towns . Much before the full transfer of the administrative control of urban PHE divisions from PHE department to municipal bodies the water crisis has started deepening in nook and corner of the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and major towns across Jammu & Kashmir. While in twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu the complaints are galore that water reaches only posh residential colonies only during morning and evening hours, the people in most of the towns too are complaining about the inadequate supply of drinking water facilities. The issue is not of shifting the administrative jurisdiction of the PHE division, but the issue concerns the management and regulation of water resources both for drinking and as well as irrigation facilities in Jammu & Kashmir. While the planners of the past had no political considerations in setting up separately PHE department for the facility of drinking water facilities and Irrigation & Flood Control department for management and regulation of water facilities to the agriculture land and flood control measures, the presently day planners have obviously for political reasons placed the control of PHE divisions of the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division in the hands of municipal bodies which are now run under the control of elected representatives.
Experiences of development administration show that technocrats are best controlled by only technocrats as has been experienced in the working of the health department and as such better for government to review and revoke it’s decision on shifting of the administrative control of PHE Divisions of the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division from PHE department to civic bodies before it ruins the system of drinking water facilities in Jammu & Kashmir.
While the municipal bodies are facing criticism for their failures in running satisfactorily the garbage disposal and drainage systems in the twin capital cities and major towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division, the water facilities can under no circumstances be properly regulated by the virtually defunct municipal; bodies now remote controlled by leaders of mainstream parties who are responsible for spoiling a glorious state of yesteryears. Moreover the misuse of rural engineering wing of the rule development department for political purposes shows that the decision of shifting the administrative control of PHE Divisions of the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division from PHE department to municipal bodies will be as good a bad decision as was the creation of Rural Engineering Wing in the Rural Development Department. Experiences of development administration show that technocrats are best controlled by only technocrats as has been experienced in the working of the health department and as such better for government to review and revoke it’s decision on shifting of the administrative control of PHE Divisions of the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division from PHE department to civic bodies before it ruins the system of drinking water facilities in Jammu & Kashmir.
