Parliamentary panel raises concern over delay in J&K, Ladakh projects

NEW DELHI: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in a recently concluded visit to both Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, have raised serious concern over the delay and red-tapism in the bureaucracy.

According to the sources, the panel members were reported about the delay and red-tapism in the bureaucracy which had been hampering the pace of development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and many new schemes announced by the Union government were getting affected.

“Both the UTs are waiting for development that has been hampered by bureaucratisation of the process and a monopoly over releasing funds,” a source familiar with the development said.

The Committee, headed by Congress Rajya Sabha Member Anand Sharma, was on the visit to J&K and Ladakh from August 17 to 21 and met the officials from the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, civil administration of both UTs and also some industry leaders.

Expressing satisfaction over the situation vis-a-vis militancy, which is at an all-time low and there have been no instances of stone pelting in the Valley, the members also visited the CRPF camps and the border areas.

The sources also said that Committee members were not happy to see the living conditions of the CRPF personnel and quality of the food being provided to them and noted that these should be improved at the earliest.

The panel members also visited border areas on the ‘Line of Control’ and raised concern over the pathetic conditions of the roads leading to ‘Border Out Posts.’

“The panel also observed that in a tense situation, the army has to mobilise in a short period of time, thus, the roads have to be improved,” the sources said.

In Ladakh, the panel members were reported about delay in releasing funds for development works which generally underutilised because of the delay, the sources further said.

With an aim to review the administration and development of the region and review the working conditions of central police forces, the parliamentary panel visited the two UTs after two months when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top politicians of Jammu and Kashmir on June 24.

It was the first high-level interaction between the central government and political leaders from J&K after August 5, 2019, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two Union Territories. (IANS)