Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Saturday promulgated an ordinance to pave the ay for panchayat polls in the state later this year. Vohra gave his assent to the promulgation of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, an official spokesman said here.
He said the governor, who had repeatedly been emphasising on the crucial importance of holding the panchayat polls for the establishment of a three-tiered framework of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), had approved the promulgation of the ordinance, during the Darbar Move period, so that no time was lost in starting the preparations for the pending elections.
The governor observed that the establishment of the PRI set-up should ensure an effective participation of the people in the decision-making process and enable them to oversee the implementation of development projects, the spokesman said.
Vohra, who had been discussing the matter with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti since the summer of 2016, had been pressing for the early conduct of the polls to both the urban and rural self-governing bodies.
“It may be recalled that Governor in discussions with the chief minister since summer 2016 has been pressing for the early conduct of elections to both the urban and rural self-governing bodies. The Panchayat elections are now envisaged to be held in winter 2017-18,’’ tthe spokesman said in a statement.
He added that considering the time-frame for the forthcoming polls, the governor had also consented to the issuance of the J-K Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, to empower the chief electoral officer of the state to determine and de-limit the halqa panchayats and conduct the panchayat polls.
(With PTI inputs)
