Innovation,
Experimentation
Marks Azad's Year
By Zafar Choudhary
03 November, 2006
Countercurrents.org
The
lasting peace though still continues to be elusive for this restive
state, one year of Ghulam Nabi Azad as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister
saw a vital focus on 'administrative discipline and infrastructure development'
as innovation and experimentation marked the central theme of his action
plan.
It was on November 2, last
year that Ghulam Nabi Azad hesitantly replaced Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
as Chief Minister under a mid-term power sharing agreement between Peoples
Democratic Party and the Congress. When Azad assumed office the biggest
immediate challenge was rehabilitation of thousands of victims of the
previous month's devastating earthquake –an exercise he was already
undertaking as representative of the Congress and as a Union Minister
even before taking over as Chief Minister.
His assignment as Jammu and
Kashmir Chief Minister remained a key focus of the political observers
as Azad has always remained reluctant to take up an assignment in the
home state. The very swearing-in of Azad as Jammu and Kashmir Chief
Minister brought various political sensitivities along. First CM from
Jammu region, first Congress CM after 30 years, his prolonged stint
at the national political scene and no frequent and substantial contacts
at home ground were some of the factors which invited an extra attention
on Azad's approach to the politics of Kashmir Valley which is always
crucial to any dispensation in the scenario of a significant separatist
discourse.
A known master strategist,
Azad acted rather smartly right from the day one. Decisively keeping
himself unarmed from political or ideological advisors –which
his predecessors had mostly drawn from bureaucracy –Azad kept
himself away from the politics of slogans. As he completes one year
in office Thursday, the CM has never been heard publicly suggesting
any specific 'formula' or 'roadmap' on Kashmir, particularly when it
comes to dealing with Kashmiri separatists or Pakistan. It can be learnt
from experiments of his predecessors that speaking in Kashmir centric
tone always upsets the applecart in Jammu region and similarly shoring
up New Delhi's summaries earns brickbats in the Valley –a typical
Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Sayeed experiment.
Instead, he stirred a slogan
of development and administrative transparency which seemingly worked
well with a random constituency across the state. Though end results
of his campaign are a long way yet, the common man across the state
identified himself with the issues spearheaded by Azad –aggressive
infrastructure development module, steps to eradicate corruption, administrative
transparency, accountability of public offices etc.
As innovation coupled with
experimentation became a hallmark of his approach, Azad's tenure witnessed
many such developments for which Jammu and Kashmir came to be known
as first in the country. While the cabinet downsizing bill which hanging
fire for a couple of years, shuttling between assembly and select committees
became one of the first few masterstrokes of Azad when this law was
enacted December last year capping ministry strength at 25 per cent
of the strength of legislature.
In a special legislature
session last December, Jammu and Kashmir became first state in the country
to enact a stringent anti-corruption law under which the established
corrupt government officials forfeit their wealth accumulations. Though
the "war against corruption" as yet to bring the results as
claimed by Azad at every occasion since he assumed office, but is learnt
that many states have been approaching Jammu and Kashmir government
to learn more on this law.
In the budget session of
state legislature earlier this year, Jammu and Kashmir yet again became
first state in the country to separate power budget from the main annual
finance plan. The separation of power budget from the main budget has
put in place a system of better financial management even though overall
electricity scenario is yet to see an improvement.
Another experimentation of
this period which is described as Azad's brainchild has been execution
of construction works in double and triple shifts. This approach to
infrastructure building has begun to see desired results. Initially
550 works have been identified for execution under double shift system.
Kunzer bridge, Bhalol bridge in Miran Sahib, new block of the Srinagar
Dental College and Hostel block of the Baba Ghulam Shah University,
Academic and Staff block of the Engineering College at Jammu completed
under the double and triple shift system. Not only these projects have
been completed ahead of scheduled but also some of them have saved significantly
on estimated project costs.
The most significant decision
of Azad's first one year, however, remained on creation of eight new
districts. Striking a note of regional balance the cabinet took the
state by surprise when against a long pending demand of three districts
in Jammu region and one in Kashmir Valley, four each were announced
were both region.
Author is Resident Editor at Jammu edition of the English Daily Kashmir
Images and Executive Director, Center for Media Research and Documentation.
He can be reached at [email protected]
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