Guv for accountable governance

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 25

Governor N N Vohra today emphasised the importance of all government functionaries putting in their best efforts to bring about visible changes in their style of functioning.
He observed that adherence to a work culture which is embedded in efficiency, transparency, responsiveness and accountability must pervade the entire administrative apparatus.
Greeting the people on the 66th Republic Day, in a message, the Governor observed that serious gaps in the governance apparatus, particularly those which relate to the functioning of the public delivery systems, must be remedied without any loss of time whatsoever.

Unaccountability must end
Towards this end, he said, stern measures would need to be taken to eradicate all dishonest elements from public services and ensure that key positions were assigned only to functionaries with proven integrity and competence.
He stressed that the menace of corruption and unaccountability would need to be fought and eradicated with unflinching determination.
He said that urgent steps would have to be taken for restoring the integrity of all public institutions,
particularly those which are the watchdogs of
governance.
In this context, he emphasised that the Right to Information Act must be implemented even more vigorously to enable the empowerment of the people at large and, among the various statutory bodies, the State Accountability Commission and the State Vigilance Commission must be particularly enabled to function without any hindrance.

15 lakh families affected by floods in state

Referring to the floods of an unprecedented scale which caused large-scale loss of life and damage to private property and public infrastructure in the state in September last year, the Governor said that according to the government assessment about 15 lakh families were adversely affected by the floods, which caused enormous damage to roads and bridges, and water, power and health systems.
In Kashmir Valley, about one-and-a-half lakh marooned persons were rescued while in the Jammu region thousands had to be evacuated to safer places.
The Governor said that the rescue operations launched by the Administration were very strongly supported by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army.
He added the Air Force evacuated over 15,000 flood-affected persons and carried out hundreds of sorties for air-dropping packets of water, food, medical and other essential supplies.
He observed with satisfaction that in the rescue operations invaluable help was provided by local youth, representatives of the civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations. He thanked all of them, particularly the local youth who played a commendable role and took untold risks in providing assistance to the flood victims.
The Governor observed that on the very day the floods engulfed the whole of Srinagar city, the Prime Minister had visited J&K and announced a Special Plan Assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for the reconstruction of public infrastructure.
He said that after the floodwaters had receded, the state government had assessed the total loss on all fronts and forwarded a comprehensive report to the Centre which is being pursued for an early decision.
He said that close attention was being paid to ensure that the corpus of Rs 1,191 crore, available under the State Disaster Response Fund, was fully utilised and the relief distribution work was completed early.
Peace must for growth
The Governor said that because of the consistently negative transborder factors and recurring challenges to the maintenance of peace and normalcy, J&K had continued to face hurdles in maintaining the required pace for securing its growth and development goals.
He noted that maintenance of peace and public order were imperative for securing sustained growth and development. It was a matter of serious concern that the past year witnessed repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement.
The repeated instances of unprovoked heavy firing from across the border caused loss of innocent lives and damage to the properties of those who are living in the villages along the border, he observed.
The Governor said, “I take this opportunity to salute the state and Central Armed Police Forces and the Army for their uncompromising commitment and devotion to duty and pay homage to all the brave officers and men who have sacrificed their lives to safeguard national security”.

Voter turnout confirmed trust in democracy
Referring to the Assembly elections held in the State recently, the Governor observed that the state witnessed a voter turnout of an unprecedented high level, confirming yet again people’s trust in the democratic process.
The Governor said: “After the successful conduct of elections to the Assembly, which were visibly free and fair, I believe that the people’s mandate shall very soon lead to the installation of the next government.”
He referred to the imposition of Governor’s rule in the state and hoped that the present spell of governance under his charge would soon come to an end when the elected representatives form the government and take over the responsibility of running the affairs of J&K.”