Poonch  administration fails to come up to the expectations of the people; Police, Civil officers need only sycophant for praise

Poonch  administration fails to come up to the expectations of the people; Police, Civil officers need only sycophant for praise

POONCH TODAY NEWS

POONCH: A few months ago, district Poonch achieved top position from the bottom of the J&K UT government’s good governance index, raising questions about the district administration’s top officers’ performance. Shockingly, even after receiving a big mortification, the district administration seems to have not learned any lessons and has failed to win the satisfaction of the people on the ground on various issues.

The district administration has received huge resentment over its failure to provide basic amenities of life to the people and for a lack of transparency in other developmental matters. Locals allege that the administration has become a hotbed of sleaze with the involvement of a few officers. Those who grease the palms of questionable credentials officers get their work done, even if that work stands against the environment, justice, or the public interest. These days, people are facing a water crisis, and this has led to huge resentment among people against the administration, as locals have alleged that if the administration cannot ensure basic amenities of life to the people, then it’s a big cause for concern. Fruit and vegetable prices have skyrocketed with no intervention from the administration. Illegal constructions in the “Red Zone” have taken place right under the nose of the administration. Many projects related to crushers were granted permission by violating the rules. Those illegal crushers’ owners, who run their units by violating all norms, were not touched because they have formed good hand-in-glove relations with the administration. Insiders in the administration, pleading anonymity, told “POONCH TODAY” that only those who form good relations by any means with the administration get their work done because subordinate officers accordingly used to get directions from top officers to prepare favourable reports in some big cases, and those who failed to influence important chairs, got negative reports. There is no merit in the administration on various issues as those who are experts in behind-the-curtains settlements get work done in their favour, whether legal or illegal. “It appears that the wrong people have been appointed to the helm of affairs in the district, who have brazenly failed to restore order and justice, whether in police or civil affairs,” a prominent citizen said. According to reports, the police and the civil administration dislike those from the fourth estate who point out flaws in the police and civil administration, but some employees who also work in the fourth estate by violating civil service rules are seen getting the police and civil administration’s blessings because they are working as agents of officers in providing information and running false narratives in favour of the police and civil administration. It is important to mention here that some police and civil officers repeatedly planned and attempted to curb the nationalist and truthful voice of this newspaper through various techniques, including giving threats and spying through their touts, but they failed in their regular attempts to ensure censorship on this fourth estate platform, which is known for working in national interest only. The horrible state of affairs in the administration has shown that nothing is as it seems. Only the traditional sycophants praise the police and civil administration for their self-interest; otherwise, the administration has failed on all aspects, according to locals. On the one hand, the Union government and J&K LG’s administration are working in the public and national interest, but the Poonch administration has failed to win the hearts and minds of the people, as arrogance, pecuniary influence are proving heavy over justice and performance. Consider the state of affairs in the city; if the common man cannot get a consistent supply of water, what can be expected of other developmental issues in remote areas? In police matters also, there are reports that questionable influences sometimes prove heavy over justice, and it shows that the sitting administration has brought the reputation of governance to an all-time low. Similar reports are also coming about the Rajouri administration. Locals have appealed to the government to bless Poonch, Rajouri districts with visionary, action-oriented, and honest heads of administration to ensure citizen-friendly, performance-oriented, and transparent governance so that justice is delivered to the people on the ground only on the basis of justice and not by means of arrogance and sleaze.