Srinagar, Nov 6: Development activities in Jammu and Kashmir’s rural belts are suffering due to prolonged vacancies in key administrative and technical positions, particularly in the Rural Development Department and Revenue Department, with several projects pending because of delayed Departmental Promotion Committees.
Sources in the department said that dozens of Block Development Officer and Panchayat Secretary posts remain vacant in frontier districts like Kupwara, Poonch, and Kishtwar. “The absence of supervisory officers has led to delays in works under MGNREGA, PMAY, and the Jal Jeevan Mission,” said a senior official, adding that many technical evaluations and fund releases are pending approval.
Field functionaries claim that duplication of records and delays in digitising property and beneficiary data are further slowing implementation. Locals in far-flung villages say developmental grievances remain unaddressed for months.
An officer from the General Administration Department confirmed that DPC meetings are pending since 2022. “The delay in promotions has created administrative stagnation across departments,” he said.
The continued delay may directly affect year-end fund utilization and audit compliance. “It’s not just governance paralysis, it’s economic damage for villages dependent on public works,” said a rural economist from Kashmir University. [KNT]
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