The officials at the helms of former Municipal Committee Bhaderwah (henceforth Committee) claimed that in politics, an alliance is simply the coming together of two parties whose focus should be on development without going into the nitty-gritty of which ideology they subscribe and what they revere or ostracize. Ideology is synonymous with development, and that way, according to the Chair, BJP is not a party of ‘outcasts’. But then both the alliance partners should not have solicited votes from people on the pretext of keeping the other party (later their alliance partner) at bay, as they believe their ideology is something that does not go well with them and fails to align with democratic principles in general.
Anyway, this is a philosophical debate that I want to avoid here. Let me keep the lid of Pandora’s box closed. The pivotal question, however, is: if it was all about the development of wards and expansion of committee limits, where is that development (read Vikas). Like ward members of the previous Committees, elected representatives of the recently dissolved committee went into hibernation after winning seats. When people would visit them with issues regarding the development of wards, they would say that there is a fund crunch and development of wards without money is not possible.
Yes, the public does comprehend this plain truth. There is no rocket science involved. But the thrust point is why were you elected in the first place? The argument about insufficient funds is not a novel one; it has been a recurring theme throughout political history. If there are no funds available to address issues such as fixing drains, repairing lanes, and installing street lights, what else do you expect in return from the public? Should they go all guns blazing against the officials at the helms?
People did resort to some unorganized protests but in vain as the argument of ‘financial crunch’ overpowered every single grievance regarding development that the public would ask officials to address.
The argument that during the time when the Congress was at the helms of the Committee, the flow of funds was sizeable and smooth because the Congress party was ruling at the Centre also falls flat, as the previous committee had BJP as one of the major stakeholders, and BJP (if my memory correctly serves me) has been ruling the centre since 2014 and (indirectly) governing J&K since 2018. There should have been no clash of interests.
The former committee talked about the need to generate revenue autonomously, yet failed to elaborate on the specific sources of this revenue. It seems their envisioned strategy involved imposing taxes on street vendors, hawkers, and Rehri Walas. Additionally, it collected revenue from the wards through sanitation fees levied on every household.
The blueprint of generating autonomous revenue was to charge sanitation fees from every household yet not install dustbins in the wards. So, residents were required to pay sanitation fees at the same time remain on toes and vigilant because as soon as they hear “Gadi wala aya, ghar se kachra nikaal” being announced they have to rush to the main road to dump garbage into Municipal garbage truck whilst saving themselves from the stray dogs which might soon outnumber humans.
The situation exposed the disconnect between the proposed revenue generation plans and the practical challenges faced by the community, raising concerns about the effectiveness and feasibility of the strategies employed by the previous committee.
Stray dogs do not roam streets in search of food. They are here to irk the public and nothing else. They spent their quality time relishing chicken wings in the steam flowing through Jamia Masjid. Water bodies flowing through the town are filthy and full of garbage and sewage. The entire sewage gets accumulated near Jamia masjid when it meets a huge pile of chicken waste which is dumped straight into the stream by chicken vendors. This place has become a sanctuary for stray dogs where they take birth, get raised into adult dogs, reproduce and multiply.
In connection with preserving and cleaning water bodies, the former Executive Officer of the Committee had proposed to extract this waste and dump it in a trench but failed to build one due to a lack of space where this trench could be dug. In fact, the phrase ‘paucity of space’ rubs off to a different range of operation.
The committee failed to build a public parking lot in the town. The rationale provided for the failure to build parking facilities was the genuine constraint of limited space in the town. If the paucity of space was that big an issue than the people at the helms of the committee should have understood that when it comes to the common masses, they also don’t possess enough space when they are asked to seek approval for their construction plans from the committee and get it sanctioned only if they have a 10 feet road in front of the proposed site.
This illogical criterion continues to hinder the construction of houses and left people to fend for themselves. If authorities want to strictly execute this criterion then why not keep a vigil at the very inception when the sale and purchase of land take place. A buyer should be barred from buying land (not having a 10 feet road in front of it) during the registration process itself so that he does not waste his/her money.
Executing such laws at the final stage is bizarre. God forbid, if such laws are implemented retrospectively then everyone might be required to vacate their homes and migrate to some alien region. Similarly, a tea seller also does not have the space to set up a tea stall if he wants to sell tea near Tehsil-ADC office which had been relocated to the new bus stand with the promise of a modern mini-secretariat at the previous location.
Commuters struggle on a daily basis as they do not find enough space while navigating through the busy market at Seri Bazar because the space has been choked by constructing a park where dogs rest in tranquillity, the illegal and obstructive parking, and building a toilet complex despite an operational toilet complex a few meters away. This park not only choked space but also dented the already struggling business of not only hotshot business establishments but also severely affected Rehri wallas, Auto drivers, and small traders.
Pertinently, the presence of Rehri Wallas is discouraged by authorities while they fail to notice the illegally parked vehicles. Besides, this park gifted us with a cesspool right at the front of Punjab National Bank. The adverse impact on local livelihoods does raise questions about the Committee’s decision-making process and the prioritization of projects that seemed to impede rather than enhance the well-being of people.
Concerns were raised by ward members affiliated with a party different from that of the Chair’s, regarding the inadequate allocation of funds to their respective wards. When a journalist, often acting as the chair’s spokesperson, questioned the chair about the issue, the response exuded arrogance, asserting, “We will focus only on significant assignments. We might extend our efforts towards the wards held by non-party members, but the decision on what to address and what to ignore rests solely with me,” the chair replied.
This declaration demonstrated a disregard for democratic principles, public mandates, and the autonomy of elected representatives. The Chair unilaterally assumed authority over the ward members, a behavior that might be called bureaucratic papacy, where decisions are made arbitrarily, reminiscent of a Pope’s authority. This autocratic stance led to instances which led people to raise complaints against the ward members. Families in some wards seeking assistance in fixing drainage issues, which were causing water seepage into their homes, were denied support simply because they had not voted for the respective ward member.
Such instances highlight a troubling trend where political affiliations rather than the genuine needs of the public seem to dictate the allocation of resources and assistance. Good governance requires accountability by public officials: both elected representatives and civil servants whose public function is to serve the community at large. It requires transparency in public procedures, processes, investment decisions, and contracts rather than acting like Nero, the infamous Roman emperor.
During a rainy day, just stroll through the municipal wards. It is essential to stock up extra packets of detergent at home. The interlocked tiles on the streets trap an abundance of muddy water, necessitating a clothes-washing session upon returning from the market. If, by chance, you happen to navigate these streets on a two-wheeler, precautions such as donning a polythene coat become imperative to shield yourself from getting splattered with mud.
Of late, numerous wards have undergone tile flooring and pothole repairs. However, the timing raises questions – is this a strategic move due to upcoming elections? Many residents in various wards express dissatisfaction since the focus seems to be on embellishing lanes with tiles without addressing drainage issues.
The question remains: as to what has the committee accomplished during its tenure, and on what grounds do the former representatives expect to secure votes in the upcoming elections. While I have attempted to address the first part, the response to the second part lies in the hands of the people casting their votes. Mind you, do keep the shopping complex and new hotel at the new bus-stand in frame while voting as these structures have been continuously projected as an asset for the generations to come. It would be equally interesting to see how yet-to-be-regularized Safai Karamcharis would use ballots.
Touqeer Nazir is a student of Political Science and can be reached at touqeerplssc@gmail.com. The views expressed in above article are personal.
Touqeer Nazir is a student of political science and can be reached at touqeerplssc@gmail.com.