JAAC panel asks EC to defer polls

RANCHI, April 8: The executive committee of the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council JAAC has requested the state and the state election commission not to hold the proposed council elections in May this year since the process for creation of a separate Vananchal state has already been initiated by the Centre.

The request was made at the executive committee meeting of the JAAC here yesterday through a resolution, JAAC vice-chairman Suraj Mandal said in a statement today. The committee welcomed the inclusion of the Vananchal issue in the BJP-led coalition8217;s national agenda for governance and conceded that since the process for granting statehood to the 18 districts of South Bihar had begun, the JAAC elections would be irrelevant.

Mandal said another meeting of the JAAC8217;s executive committee would be held on April 27 to be followed by the general session of the interim body on May 4 and 5.

Out of Rs 4 crore sanctioned to the JAAC over a period of three years for establishment expenditure the JAAC has spentRs 2.56 crore till March 31, 1998, Mandal said.

The panel in another resolution urged that the funds earmarked for development works in this region which were withdrawn by different government departments without the consent of the JAAC be refunded to the interim body of the council by the state government, Mandal said.