JKUM protest over PRI funds

Ganderbal, Jun 11: The Jammu and Kashmir United Movement (JKUM), led by its president and former MLA Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, staged a protest demonstration in Ganderbal on Wednesday, raising serious concerns over the alleged misappropriation of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) funds by the Omar Abdullah-led government.
The rally, which commenced from Tawheed Chowk and concluded at the Mini Secretariat, was participated by party activists and local supporters. The protesters voiced their anger against what they described as a systematic erosion of grassroots governance and democratic processes.
Carrying placards and raising slogans in defence of decentralised governance, the protestors accused the government of violating the Panchayati Raj Act. They claimed the government is bypassing Gram Sabhas and consolidating control in the hands of a few, effectively sidelining the elected Panchayat bodies.
Addressing the media during the protest, Jabbar criticised the current approach to governance, alleging that funds meant for Panchayats are being funnelled into the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), allowing sitting legislators to exert undue influence.
“Redirecting PRI funds to the CDF is not only unconstitutional but also undemocratic,” he said. “It strips local representatives of their rightful authority and reduces grassroots democracy to a farce.”
He further revealed that the party has submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, addressed to the Union Home Minister and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. The memorandum demands an immediate halt to the diversion of PRI funds and calls for urgent Panchayat elections to restore accountability and transparency at the village level.
“The deliberate weakening of Panchayati Raj Institutions is a direct assault on the spirit of democracy,” the JKUM leader said. “People at the grassroots must have a say in development decisions. We will not allow these institutions to be rendered meaningless.”