Disbursal of relief to flood victims, other major decisions not implemented
The administrative functioning in the state has come to a grinding halt due the deadlock over government formation. The state government is unable to take decisions over key policy issues including the disbursal of relief to the flood-affected families.
According to top government sources, major decisions have not been implemented in the state including the release of hike in relief to the flood-hit families of the state.
Earlier Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, led coalition government had sent a proposal for relaxing the norms for disbursal of relief to the flood-hit families, but no headway has been made in this regard.
The government had pegged the losses to the public and private property at over Rs 44,000 crore and had recommended major hike in the flood compensation.
Sources said even as the Union Finance Ministry earlier approved the plan for the state, but owing to the deadlock the discussions over the scheme of financing the annual plan couldn’t be carried forward.
“We are facing acute shortage of funds as the dialogue at the political level over the finalisation of the plan process couldn’t be carried forward,” sources said.
Due to the shortage of funds, the developmental works have also come to halt as the disbursal of payments to contractors is getting delayed, a state government official said.
According to top officials, as per the business conduct rules the Ministers delegate the powers to the Secretaries for taking decisions over key policy matters, but since the deadlock prevails the powers couldn’t be devolved.
Among other issues on which the decisions are pending include appointment of members of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), State Accountability Commission (SAC) and the Backward Classes Commission (BCC).
“These important institutions are unable to deliver in the wake of the fact that there are no members to run them,” a top government official said.
He added that the Public Service Commission (PSC) is also not able to carry out functioning after the file about recommendation of the names of Chairman and the members of the Commission was recently returned by Governor, N N Vohra, to the government.
Admitting that the relief package that was envisaged earlier by the government for the flood victims couldn’t be implemented on ground, state’s Revenue Secretary, Vinod Koul, said the proposal about the enhancement in the relief to the families was under the consideration of the Central government.
“We are pursuing the matter with the Central government,” he said.
He, however, said the state was disbursing the relief to the affected families from its own funds.
