Officials face public wrath on ‘failure’ to execute works

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 25

The UT administration’s second edition of the much-hyped “Back to Village” (B2V2) programme today began on a tumultuous note, with officials facing the resentment of the panchayat members and villagers for the alleged failure of the administration to execute projects identified in the B2V1 programme in June this year.

The six-day-long B2V2 programme, covering over 4,000 panchayats across Jammu and Kashmir, has been aimed at taking “governance to the doorstep” of the people.

Under this programme, about 4,500 senior government officials would spend two days and a night at the panchayat level and make an assessment of the progress in the follow-up of the decisions taken during the B2V1 programme.

Several panchayats have also announced to boycott the government’s initiatives for its “poor performance” and “failure” in starting the development works identified almost six months ago.

In the Kharian panchayat of the Miran Sahib block, situated a few km from Jammu city, villagers and panchayat members took the deputed officer, Ravinder Kumar Manhotra, to task for the non-execution of works listed six months ago.

“The entire programme is an eyewash and holds no meaning as the administration has failed to execute even a single work listed in the first phase of the B2V programme in June this year. The government’s performance has remained zero. The villagers, particularly women, grilled the gazetted officer and sought an explanation from him for the non-execution of the work, but the official failed to make any reply and presented a lame excuse that he had no idea of the listed development works,” Vinod Kumar, naib sarpanch of the village, said.

Panchayat members and villagers of Dinga Amb block in Kathua district staged a protest and decided to boycott the programme.

“Not even a single work which was prioritised by the people had been executed in the entire block till date. The administration should inform the people about the works initiated, if any, and it holds meaning for us. This is a mere eyewash and fraud on people. We will not participate in the programme,” Sudesh Kumar, chairman of the Block Development Council (BDC) Dinga Amb, said.

The local sarpanch Surinder Kumar said there was great excitement among people in the first phase of this programme who had expected that their aspirations would be fulfilled, but there was no strong resentment among them.

In Kathua district’s remote Nakki village in Khoon block, the panchayat members and villagers have also contemplated to boycott the B2V2 programme.

They are miffed over what they called, “a meaningless and futile exercise” for them as no follow-up was conducted on the works identified in the B2V1 programme.

“We are planning to boycott the B2V2 programme as it holds no meaning for us. We gave a list of five works with utmost public importance for execution, but not even a single work has been undertaken till date. We have been made a scapegoat because we have been facing the wrath of our people on a daily basis,” regretted Faroz Din, sarpanch, Nakki Panchayat.

Similarly, Parshotam Singh, a sarpanch of Reasi district, also expressed his dismay over the government’s “casual approach” to fulfil the people’s aspirations and said, “Except sanctioning Rs 3 lakh for a water tank, no progress has been made on the listed works.”

‘B2V2 programme an eyewash’

“The entire programme is an eyewash and holds no meaning as the administration has failed to execute even a single work listed in the first phase of the B2V programme in June this year. The government’s performance has remained zero. The villagers, particularly women, grilled the gazetted officer and sought an explanation from him for the non-execution of the work, but the official failed to make any reply and presented a lame excuse that he had no idea of the listed development works. Vinod Kumar, naib sarpanch of a village