Time not conducive for Panchayat polls in J&K: Tarigami

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami today said the time was not conducive for holding Panchayat polls in the state.

"After the unrest in the Valley, the government should take some confidence building measures. It should release all political prisoners, review the cases of those booked under Public Safety Act and revoke cases against hundreds of people.

"The government should take into consideration the ground realities before announcing the schedule for the panchayat polls," Tarigami said at a party convention in Anantnag.

The CPI(M) leader said instead of allowing indirect election of Sarpanches by Panches, the government should empower the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
"The way government has amended the Panchayati Raj Act it is undemocratic. 

This step will only weaken these institutions in the state. Their powers have been diluted by successive governments and they never allowed self governance at grassroots level," the MLA from Kulgam segment said.

"Panchyati Raj will only flourish when there is an elected three-tier system. The chairman of the DDB shouldn't be nominated but elected by the people as and when the situation for this becomes conducive," he added.

Tarigami also questioned the PDP-BJP government about its claims regarding their Agenda of Alliance (AoA).

"This government has been talking about AoA but the fact is that even the return of power projects to the state seems a distant dream. If it cannot not succeed in getting these projects back, they should at least repair the damaged transformers and transmission lines as people are suffering due to shortage of electricity during the chilly winters," he said.