In March this year, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stitched up a coalition government with the BJP, they entered into an “agenda of alliance” to govern the state.
Eight months later, we took a look at the major promises made by ministers in the coalition government and their delivery.
Fast-track recruitment
In July this year, Jammu and Kashmir implemented the new recruitment policy and announced to recruit 7,500 people under the new rules on a fast-track basis in four months.
The announcement was made by Education Minister Naeem Akhter, who is also the official spokesman for the government.
The government asked two recruiting agencies — the Services Selection Board (SSB) and the J&K Public Service Commission (PSC) — to complete the selection process, but so far no appointments have been made. Under the new rules, the appointees will be regularised after five years of “satisfactory service”.
The deadline set by the government for fast-tracking the recruitment expired on October-end.
The SSB has advertised nearly 4,000 posts under the new scheme.
“We have advertised 3,735 divisional and district cadre posts and the process has begun,” said an official of the SSB. “Under the new policy, we have not recruited anyone so far,” he added.
The premium recruiting agency, PSC, claims that the government has referred no posts under the new rules. “We have already started fast-tracking the recruitment of the advertised post, but under the new rules, the government has not referred even a single post to us,” said a PSC official.
Transparency
The government headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has been promising to make its institutions of probity — State Accountability Commission, Vigilance Commission and State Information Commission — transparent and accountable.
Even as the SAC was reconstituted in September with former High Court Chief Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan as its chairman and two other former judges as its members, the Commission remains toothless.
The SAC is mandated to inquire the complaints of corruption against public government functionaries, including the Chief Minister.
The SAC should have an investigating agency headed by the Deputy Inspector General of police, to probe the cases, but so far the agency does not exist. The SAC was formed when the PDP was governing the state in coalition with the Congress in 2003.
The State Information Commission is also not fully armed and is facing neglect. The PDP-BJP government has transferred several SAC officials, hitting its work. It continues to function without a member and secretary.
The state government is yet to constitute the State Human Rights Commission. The government sacked 63 officials against whom there were charges of corruption and came under fire recently for appointing a few tainted officials to key posts.
Irrigation and flood control
The government had promised to take immediate measures to save Kashmir from the 2014-like floods. It, however, failed to take any concrete measures, including dredging of the Jhelum.
Power sector
Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who is also the Power Minister, has been vocal and had promised to get back the Dulhasti and Uri power projects from the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. However, sources in the Power Development Department said no tangible measure had been so far.
The minister has also failed to constitute the highest decision-making body — the Board of Directors — of J&K’s only revenue generating public-sector undertaking, State Power Development Corporation.
Finance sector
Economist-turned-politician Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu has been boasting of initiating reforms in the state’s finance sector to revive the ailing economy. However, there has been no major turnaround in the sector, drawing criticism from opposition leaders.
Rural Development
Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan had promised to make the villages polythene-free, but no such initiative has been taken so far.
Coalition govt fails to fulfil major promises made in eight months
