6 senior J&K officers study biz model of 4 UTs, submit report
The recommendations will enable sub-committees to submit the draft Business Rules for UT of J&K, Ladakh
SRINAGAR : A group of six senior Jammu and Kashmir officials, who were deputed to visit the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh, Delhi, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar for studying the business rules and other regulations, have submitted their reports to the government.
The government is in final stage to chart the necessary administrative steps and legal formalities in the run-up to October 31, when the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act comes into effect.
The Rajya Sabha had passed the J&K Reorganisation Bill on August 5, while the Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on August 6. The Bill sought to bifurcate J&K into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Top officials who are monitoring the transition said the recommendations submitted by the group to General Administration Department (GAD) will enable the sub-committees constituted by the administration to submit the draft Business Rules for UT of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Khurshid Ahmad Shah, commissioner-secretary, public works (R&B) department, and Subash Chibber, additional secretary, GAD, were deputed in Andaman and Nicobar while Rigzin Sampheal, commissioner-secretary, Ladakh affairs department, and Parveez Ahmad Raina, secretary, GAD, visited Delhi and Chandigarh UTs.
Talat Parvez Rohella, secretary, higher education department, who was deputed in Puducherry along with Charandeep Singh, additional secretary, GAD, said, “We stayed there (Puducherry) and read their modules and rules. The report has been already submitted to the government.”
“There is not much difference in the rules of a state and UT. Only nomenclature of top officials is different,” he added.
The state government had set up three committees, one to devise “the modalities for functioning of proposed UT of Jammu & Kashmir”, another to decide on the financial matters in the proposed UT, and the third one to look into the allocation of staff.
State governor Satya Pal Malik was heading the 12-member committee formed to devise the modalities with commissioner-secretaries/secretaries of— finance, health, planning, public works, Ladakh affairs, general administration department, higher education, revenue, law & justice and parliamentary affairs—as its members.
This high-level committee will look into the steps needed to be taken for J&K’s transition from a state into a UT by various departments.
The government has also accorded sanction to the Consolidated Fund of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, successor to the Consolidated Fund of the State of Jammu and Kashmir
A HIGH-LEVEL PANEL HEADED BY GOVERNOR WILL LOOK INTO STEPS NEEDED TO BE TAKEN FOR J&K’S TRANSITION FROM A STATE INTO A UT BY VARIOUS DEPTS