As panchs quit, Omar govt plans Rs 3,000 honorarium

To dissuade elected panchs and sarpanchs from resigning in the wake of militant threats, the J&K government is mulling to give each of them Rs 3,000 monthly honorarium.

Though no formal decision has been taken yet, well-placed sources told The Indian Express that the ruling coalition partner Congress has been pushing for it. Pradesh Congress Committee chief and MP Saifuddin Soz had taken up the issue while chairing a meeting of coordination panel comprising members from both the National Conference and Congress.

The total burden to be incurred by the state government on payment of the honorarium to 29,000 panchs and 4,125 sarpanchs, sources said, has been worked out between Rs 70 crore and 100 crore. The Congress has asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to send a proposal to the Centre seeking financial assistance.

The issue of militant threat to the panchs and sarpanchs also came up at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in Delhi on Tuesday where party general secretary Rahul Gandhi emphasised on the need for strengthening panchayats in the state.

In the past two weeks, disillusioned over delay in their empowerment and callous attitude of state government towards their security, nearly 80 panches and sarpanchs have resigned in North Kashmir's Baramulla district following the killing of two sarpanchs by militants.

If the government did not address the issue soon, there will be resignations from militancy-hit areas in Jammu region as well, said Shafiq Mir, convener of the Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference.

Pointing out that he had drawn the government's attention towards their security right from the day Lashkar's threat posters first appeared in South Kashmir, Shafiq regretted that the government continued maintaining "criminal silence" over the issue.

On Monday evening, promising that all efforts would be made to provide the panchs and sarpanchs "a conducive atmosphere" to function, Omar said, "I will discuss the issue at the next meeting of Unified Headquarters."

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