J-K administration sets up panels to prepare for polls to vacant panchayat seats

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has constituted apex and divisional level committees to prepare for elections to the 12,731 vacant panchayat seats in the union territory, according to an official order.

The eight-member apex committee would be headed by Principal Secretary, Home Department, with the Director-General of Police, Additional Director General of Police (CID), Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu and the Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj as its members, the order issued on Friday by the Deputy Secretary to the Government, G L Sharma, said.

Besides the Apex committee, there will be separate four-member committees each for Jammu and Kashmir divisions, headed by their respective commissioners, according to the order.

The apex committee will draw a road map and a detailed schedule for conducting the elections on the basis of inputs on the ground level situation from the divisional level committees.

It will submit a report to the government by January 13, it said.

The committees will get assistance from the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, the order said.

There are 12,565 vacant panchayat seats in Kashmir and 166 in Jammu region, officials said.