As the central, state and Union Territory Governments’ have certain constitutional, institutional and administrative obligations to fulfil public aspirations , the municipal and as well as Panchayat bodies too have certain obligations to fulfil public aspirations in towns and Villages across Jammu & Kashmir. With three tier panchayat system in place the expectations of the people on delivery of public services have unprecedentedly risen to new heights in villages across Jammu & Kashmir. Though civic governance stands at the core of the responsibilities of the village panchayats but unfortunately no improvement is noticed in lifting of garbage and it’s scientific dispsal in villages particularly at schools and hospitals the two top facilities centres for rural populations across Jammu & Kashmir. Though lifting of garbage and it’s scientific disposal in towns and cities including twin capital cities-Srinagar and Jammu has been made mandatory for the municipal bodies in Jammu & Kashmir but unfortunately there is no institutional and administrative binding on village panchayats to lift the garbage from households , business & trade outlets and public facility centres including schools and hospitals in villages across Jammu & Kashmir. Consequently the sanitation facilities are found missing in villages in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions.
It is the domain of the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of the community blocks to oversee the lifting and disposal of garbage at the suitable garbage dumping sites and much better it would be if the Directors of the Rural Development Department of both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division seek monthly performance reports on lifting and scientific disposal of garbage by village panchayats from the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of the all the community blocks of both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division.
Had the village panchayats been made institutionally and administratively duty bound to lift the garbage and set up garbage dumping sites at suitable places for it’s scientific disposal the villages in both Kashmir Valley and Jammu divisions won’t changed into garbage dumps. Ironically heaps of garbage are found scattered not only on lanes and by lanes but also around key public facility centres particularly schools and hospitals almost in all the villages in both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division. Interestingly it is the domain of the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of the community blocks to oversee the lifting and disposal of garbage at the suitable garbage dumping sites and much better it would be if the Directors of the Rural Development Department of both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division seek monthly performance reports on lifting and scientific disposal of garbage by village panchayats from the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of the all the community blocks of both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division. The Government can also conduct training programs on collection and scientific disposal of garbage for the concerned functionaries of the block development offices in all the community blocks on rotational bases to further the causes of sanitation and overall civic governance in village across Jammu & Kashmir. A change in the system and processes of sanitation in villages demands the intervention of the administrative secretary of the rural development department and directors of the twin divisions of Kashmir and Jammu as this is the only way to establish a strong system of civic governance in Jammu & Kashmir.
