The Jammu and Kashmir government Friday issued an order instructing all officials of the administration to extend cooperation and accord “priority” to elected representatives of the union territory. Highlighting the crucial role of elected representatives in governance in a directive issued Friday Commissioner/Secretary General Administration Department (GAD), B S Raju wrote: “It therefore becomes imperative that all government departments, officers and officials extend due cooperation and accord priority to issues highlighted/flagged by these public representatives”. In the backdrop of J&K’s elected government working in a UT set up for the first time and the bureaucracy caught between the Raj Bhawan and the chief minister, newly-elected MLAs have raised concerns of a “loss of connect” between the bureaucracy and the people. J&K was a state before but became a UT in 2019. Until last October, when a new government was elected following Assembly polls, its administration was run entirely through the Raj Bhawan, with only District Development Councils (DDC) still having elected representatives. The order directs all officers/officials working in various government departments of the UT of Jammu & Kashmir to attend to elected representatives “on priority in public offices and proper protocol, as per established government norms and guidelines, shall be adhered to in all such interactions.” In the absence of elected MLAs, many members of the District Development Councils across J&K had previously expressed concerns of not getting adequate response from the bureaucracy. In his first meeting with administrative secretaries, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also warned officials against trying to “exploit” the hybrid system of governance in the UT. “I am acutely aware that we have unfortunately at this moment a rather hybrid system of governance.” He said that while some “may feel they can exploit the system to their advantage,” the CM stated that he had assurances from the highest level in the Union government that J&K’s UT status is only temporary. Friday’s administrative order also directs that communications, requests and grievances raised by elected representatives are to be “acknowledged and processed on priority and government officers/officials” and urges them to “deal with elected representatives in a professional and respectful manner.” Additionally, it also states that the elected representatives are invited to all official functions and meetings organised in their jurisdiction as well as in the event of “official visit of any dignitary” in their jurisdiction.
