“Doing away with nominated heads of the district development and planning boards is something that will help the society not a party,” former law minister and deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Beg said in assembly. “In future, if you may not be in government, there is every possibility that you will be in control of the district development boards.” Interestingly, a high level panel that chief secretary headed had suggested adopting the spirit of the twin amendments in the state law, as early as 2011 summer.
Congress is not desperate for the district boards. It is more concerned over the fate of its voters that fall in SC and ST categories in Jammu and Ladakh. The party sees the outcome of the next assembly elections very closely linked to the areas where SC and ST are living. They created an issue, fought a protracted pitched battle and finally won it. But it paralyzed the PRS that had barely started taking off.
Reviving the process that Omar government has halted, apparently under duress, will take its own time. While the ordinance listing the changes in the existing law will take its own time for drafting, it will require some cooling time in the Raj Bhawan, for mandatory ascent.
“The major issue would be the identification of the BDCs which will have to be categorized as reserved which means a new de-alienation of these segments which will take a long time,” an officer privy of the developments said. “Since this delineation will be dictated by the political compulsions, mostly for Congress in Jammu, it will be a hectic exercise.”
A general expectation is that women would get 33 per cent reservation (nearly 47 blocks), SCs eight per cent (11 blocks) and STs 10 percent (14 blocks) – strictly as per the reservations set at primary level of PRS.
Once that long process is completed, a new notification will be issued to restart the process. Given the fast approaching winters, it is expected that the polls may take place in 2013 spring. The state government has already constituted an election commission and a finance commission that would take care of the requirements of the PRS. These two allied institutions are suggested incorporating the twin amendments that Congress has been campaigning for.
