Civil Society groups too have a key role in opinion making and more so when it comes to public concerns over delivery of public services and corruption in public institutions. Unfortunately dozens of civil society groups like political parties have gone on a silent mode even over the basic issues of governance particularly delivery of public services and corruption in public institutions. Recently police in a communication to Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) raised concerns over illegal constructions in Srinagar city and sought immediate action from the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on this count but the civil society groups like political parties did not muster the courage to raise their own concerns over police intervention on illegal constructions in Srinagar city. While civil society groups could have raised questions over alleged illegal constructions not only in Srinagar but in both the twin capital cities (Srinagar and Jammu) and major towns of both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division, they did not bother to raise any question even over the row between Srinagar Mayor and Joint Commissioner SMC on grant of building permissions on both residential and commercial structures in Srinagar last year. The civil society groups in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu could have at least raised a question that illegal constructions are allowed not only in Srinagar but in both the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and all the towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division where municipal bodies wield the power and authority to grant building permissions. Unfortunately civil society groups have never ever raised their concerns even over the nonstop constructions on the paddy cultivated agriculture land for the purposes of an appropriate legal action against the violators in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. Had the civil society raised their concerns over constructions on paddy cultivate land, the issue of alleged illegal constructions won’t have come to the point of police intervention in Srinagar city.
People of Jammu & Kashmir reserve the right to ask civil society groups that if they can’t generate public opinion over bigger public issues concerning the basic system of governance, what right they have to continue running their organizations in the name of civil society groups. People have even the right to ask civil society groups to list their contributions and achievements in opinion making from the day they have been launched for the purposes of protecting people’s rights on accessibility to basic social services.
While the area under paddy cultivation is fast reducing due to nonstop constructions over most of the paddy cultivated land both in Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division, the civil society groups don’t bother to generate a public opinion either through a mass awareness campaign or debates and discussions over the construction of both residential and commercial structures on paddy cultivated land in both Kashmir valet and Jammu division. People of Jammu & Kashmir reserve the right to ask civil society groups that if they can’t generate public opinion over bigger public issues concerning the basic system of governance, what right they have to continue running their organizations in the name of civil society groups. People have even the right to ask civil society groups to list their contributions and achievements in opinion making from the day they have been launched for the purposes of protecting people’s rights on accessibility to basic social services.
