Govt likely to designate its officers as Panchayat administrators

Srinagar, Jan 8: As Panchayats in J&K are completing their five-year term on Tuesday (January 09), the administration of the Union Territory is likely to designate its officials and officers as Panchayat  administrators.

Sources told news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that J&K government is likely to designate officers/officials as administrators of Panchayats for exercising their powers. “The government would soon issue a notification for appointing administrators of Panchayats. All the powers and duties of the Halqa Panchayat would be exercised and performed by these administrators,” they said, adding that an exercise has been carried out in this regard.

As per Jammu & Kashmir Panchayat Raj Act-1989, the administrators so appointed shall hold office for a period of six months which may be extended by the government for a period of three months by a notification in the official gazette.

Officials said that powers of Panchayats cannot be delegated to district development council (DDC) members.

“There is no legal provision for transferring powers of Panchayats to DDCs,” they said, adding that Panchayats and DDCs are two separate bodies with their powers defined in J&K’s Panchayat law.

Constituted on January 10, 2019, the five-year term of Panchayats in J&K will end on January 09, in accordance with the law governing their functioning.

Simultaneously, the BDCs will also complete their term on Tuesday, even as an electoral exercise for their constitution was held almost a year after the Panchayat election.

It is worthwhile to mention that elections for Panchayats were expected to be held in October – November 2023, but were delayed due to different legal and procedural issues.

In the last week of December, the administrative council headed by LG Manoj Sinha proposed amendments in Jammu & Kashmir’s Panchayati Raj Act to grant reservation to Other Backward Classes(OBCs) in these institutions.

—(KNO)