Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the government would conduct the elections to the local bodies on time and assured that such institutions would be empowered to take the state on the path of development.
"I want to assure that we will conduct civic elections, polls of municipalities and panchayats as well. Then we will give powers to them. We will conduct these polls on time and then there will be devolution of powers," Sayeed said here.
The chief minister was speaking on a discussion on Panchayati Raj institutions in Legislative Council.
He said the government would not postpone any elections and preparations for the polls were going on.
"I want to assure the House that we will not postpone any elections. They will be held when they are due. We will also conduct civic polls soon. The preparation like revision of electoral rolls is going on.
Sayeed said Panchayati Raj institutions would be empowered to take the governance to the door steps of the people.
"Panchayats will be empowered. The work at district level, block level and panchayat level is not what I have to see. The Chief Education Officer in a district cannot check all the schools. Panchayats will be empowered for that," he said.
The chief minister said there was no reason to postpone the polls.
"I do not know why they (previous government) did not conduct civic bodies polls. There is a danger of opposition in this, but I do not have that danger...The (previous) NC (National Conference)-Congress government had issued a notification for conducting Block Development Elections but withdrew it later.
"I was talking to Chief Secretary and I told him that we will conduct these elections as scheduled in April. If we have to take the path of development, then we will have to involve these institutions and the people," Sayeed said.
