Srinagar, Aug 5 (PTI) Taking note of area-specific needs and developmental aspirations of people, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday interacted with the chairpersons of District Development Councils (DDCs) of Kashmir Division at the Civil Secretariat here, an official spokesperson said.

During the interaction, the Lt Governor also sought feedback on the pace of the developmental projects and their implementation on ground, besides other issues of public importance in their respective constituencies, the spokesperson said.

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A similar interaction with DDCs of the Jammu Division will be held soon, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor reiterated the Jammu and Kashmir administration's commitment to making panchayati raj institutions more empowered and vibrant in the true sense.

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“The integrated approach to institutionalise the active participation of PRIs (panchayati raj institutions) in implementation of various schemes and projects will be a key driver of the UT's overall development agenda,” he said.

The three-tiers of the panchayati raj system is a bridge between policies and their implementation on the ground, and the administration is putting concerted efforts to strengthen the grassroot level of the democratic setup, the Lt Governor said.

Terming the panchayati raj system as the cornerstone of participatory governance in Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha said the funds, functions and functionaries have been made available to the public representatives for grassroot development.

For invoking a greater role of Jan Bhagidari in the development process, the PRIs will be further strengthened in the near future, he added.

The Lt Governor called upon the DDCs to work in collaboration with the administration at all levels, and also assured full cooperation and support towards meeting the aspirations of people and their elected representatives.

The UT administration is treading successfully on the five principles -- transparency in governance, empowering grassroots democracy, people's welfare, accelerated development, creation of employment opportunities which were laid down one year ago for the development and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

Acknowledging the roles and responsibilities of the DDC chairpersons for the development of their respective districts, the Lt Governor said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have high aspirations from them in fulfilling their development aspirations and needs, and formulation of historic District Capex Budget 2021-22 with the active participation of DDCs was a step ahead in this direction.

During the interaction meeting, the DDC chairpersons apprised the Lt Governor about their district-specific issues related to the development and public welfare.

Addressing the issue of providing continuous water supply to every household under Jal Jeevan Mission including those residing in far-flung and remote areas, the Lt Governor said directions have already been passed to the concerned secretary for the constitution of a team for monitoring the specific mission only.

On being apprised regarding power outage in Gurez region due to heavy snowfall, the Lt Governor said that the administration is working on the underground cabling project with Power Grid Corporation of India for providing power to Gurez even during the heavy snowfall season.

The DPR of the project would be completed this month, he added.

While informing the achievements of macadamization of roads under PMGSY in the UT, the Lt Governor said the administration has cleared a large number of cases and completed various works pending for several years.

He further informed the DDC chairpersons that work is also going on in full swing to provide pothole-free roads and this year, the department aims to make 6000 km road length free of potholes.

“The remaining villages left without proper road connectivity would be connected in the next two years,” he added. On being informed about the shortage of staff in the offices of line departments in some districts, the Lt Governor said rationalisation would be done to strengthen the departments facing a shortage of officers.

He informed the DDC chairpersons that DPR has been formulated for providing them accommodation and office facilities in every district.

The Lt Governor also enumerated the measures taken by the government pertaining to providing reliable power supply to the consumers, besides connecting the left-out habitations; employment generation; maintaining transparency and accountability in the government's functioning.

The DDC chairpersons would visit the other regions of the country to get the first-hand appraisal of the working of panchayati raj system in to increase their exposure and knowledge base, it was informed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)