UDHAMPUR, July 13: Senior leader Pawan Khajuria expressed deep concern over the long-pending Urban Local Body and Panchayati Raj Institution elections in Jammu and Kashmir during a press conference at the Sallian Talab office in Udhampur. He stated that the delay in conducting elections for municipal corporations, councils, and committees has severely hit development works across the region, including Udhampur.
In the absence of elected representatives, residents are struggling to find a platform to voice their grievances. Essential civic amenities like road repairs, sanitation, drainage clearing, streetlights, and drinking water supply remain neglected and unfinished.
The situation in rural areas is equally concerning, where developmental activities have ground to a halt due to the delay in panchayat elections. Plans initially formulated with the consent of locals in Gram Sabhas are not being implemented correctly. In several places, the actual priorities of the villagers were ignored, and projects were introduced that did not align with local needs, going against the core spirit of the Panchayati Raj system.
Khajuria urged the government to constitute new municipal committees in expanding rural hubs with growing populations and commercial activities, such as Garhi, Majalta, Manwal, Khoon, Ghordi, Panchari, Jaganoo, and other similar areas to accelerate local development.
Elected representatives like councillors, sarpanches, panches, BDC, and DDC members maintain direct contact with the public and play a crucial role in resolving daily issues. The ongoing delay has completely severed this vital link between the public and the administration. Questioning the Jammu and Kashmir government’s commitment to democracy and development, Khajuria asked why the local body elections were being deferred. He emphasized that the true strength of democracy lies in its grassroots representatives, without whom comprehensive development is impossible.
He demanded that the government announce the Urban Local Body and Panchayati Raj elections without any further delay to strengthen the democratic framework and expedite development. He also advocated for greater participation of the youth in the upcoming elections, noting that young men and women bring fresh perspectives, energy, and a modern approach that can significantly contribute to regional growth. He warned that if the government fails to take immediate action, public demands will be raised even more aggressively through democratic means.
Senior leaders and former local representatives, including Rajkumar Bucha, Neha Verma, Rakesh Khajuria, Mukund Lal, Bishan Das, Mahesh Gautam, Gurudyal Khajuria, Rahul Gupta, Naresh Sharma, Arun Gupta, Vijay Kumar, Ramesh Kumar Goswami, Rakesh, Rohit Sharma, Shailo Ram, Jagdish Kumar, Sanjay Verma, Sunny Kalsotra, Bharat Bhushan, Rohit Sarmal, Nareshwar Vaid, Kuldeep Sharma, Sunny, and Gagan, were also present at the press conference.