Sahil Sharma
Budgam, May 24 (KNS) : A historic general body meeting of the All Jammu & Kashmir Panchayat Secretaries Association was held at Panchayat Bhawan in Humhama here on Sunday, ending a long gap in the collective platform of the cadre in the Union Territory.
Representatives from both Kashmir and Jammu provinces participated in the day-long deliberations, which focused on service-related issues and the future roadmap of the Panchayat Secretaries cadre, officials said.
The meeting witnessed the presence of the Provincial President of Kashmir along with his provincial body, district presidents, block-level office bearers and a large number of basic members from the Kashmir province. The Provincial President of Jammu also participated with his provincial office bearers, district bodies, block office bearers and basic members from the Jammu province, they said.
Consent letters from a majority of district presidents of the Jammu province, who could not attend due to unavoidable official engagements, were presented before the general body, sources added.
The general body held detailed deliberations on ten key agenda points, including clarification of Subordinate Services Recruitment Rules, gazetted recruitment rules, creation of sanitary or panchayat inspector posts, submission of a memorandum to the 8th Pay Commission, retrospective effect of Level-4 from February 22, 2008, a transfer policy for panchayat secretaries, time-bound promotions, arrears of erstwhile MPWs, day-to-day field challenges, and amendment of the association's by-laws, officials said.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
After threadbare discussions, the general body unanimously resolved to formulate an interim Union Territory body to represent the cadre at the UT level in a unified and effective manner, they said.
The general body chose two convenors — Syed Tahir Mohiuddin Andrabi and Dilshad Ahmad Malik — along with a 14-member UT body. The members include Pardeep Kumar, Arif Nabi, Lukhinder Singh, Fayaz Ahmad Shah, Jyoti Angural, Nayeem Ahmad Yatoo, Mohammad Shakoor, Aftab Ahmad Wani, Mehtab Ali Mir, Ajaz Ahmad Wani, Tanjot Singh, Hilal Ahmad Reshi, Ajay Kumar and Mohammad Akbar Rather.
The newly formed interim UT body pledged to work with dedication and collective responsibility for the larger benefit of the entire Panchayat Secretaries cadre without any discrimination, a statement said.
The general body resolved that the foremost priority of the UT body would be early clarification and resolution of the Subordinate Services Recruitment Rules, besides vigorously pursuing all other genuine demands and service-related issues before the concerned authorities.
The general body expressed hope that this historic unity would strengthen the voice of Panchayat Secretaries and pave the way for protection of their rights, service interests and professional dignity, officials added. (KNS)