SRINAGAR: After the appointment of BJP leader Manoj Sinha as the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, all is set for the formation of a six-member Advisory Council to assist the L-G in running the day-to-day affairs in the Union Territory. The council, comprising politicians of two political parties, will act as a bridge between the government and masses.
A senior J&K BJP leader told this newspaper that Centre is discussing formation of Advisory Council to help the administration reach out to the masses and fill the political vacuum created since August 5 last year with the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir state into two UTs. He said the Centre is discussing the proposal seriously and contours are being worked out.
“At least six people from two parties may be part of the Advisory Council,” sources said, adding three politicians each from BJP and J&K Apni Party, led by businessman and former PDP leader Altaf Bukhari, may be part of the Advisory Council. They said there would be three faces each from the Valley and Jammu region and the council would help connect the government with masses and restart stalled political activities in J&K.
According to sources, it is being felt that there has been a disconnect between government and administration as bureaucrats have been unable to reach out to masses and Centre wants to bridge this gap and void by the Advisory Council of politicians. At present four Advisors – Kewal Kumar Sharma, Farooq Khan (BJP leader), Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar (former DG CRPF) and Baseer Ahmad Khan (former Divisional Commissioner Kashmir) — are assisting the L-G in running daily affairs of the government.
The BJP leader said once the Advisory Council is formed, there would be no role for present advisors of Sinha and they would be relieved of duties. A J&K Apni Party leader said the Centre can promulgate a law on the formation of Council if it feels the need for setting up such a body. “If the Advisory Council comprising politicians is formed, it will provide some relief to the common man.
People can reach their representatives to get their issues redressed and this will definitely increase participation of people in governance.” However, senior J&K Apni Party leader Ghulam Hassan Mir said the party has no information on formation of an Advisory Council.