SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami today said the time is not conducive for holding panchayat polls in the state and the government should take some confidence building measures after the five-month-long unrest in Kashmir Valley last year.The government should take into consideration the ground realities before announcing the schedule for panchayat polls, he said at a party convention in Anantnag district.It should release all political prisoners, review the cases of those booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) and revoke cases against hundreds of people, especially youth, Tarigami said.Instead of allowing indirect election of sarpanches by panches, the government should empower the panchayati paj institutions, the CPI(M) leader said, and alleged, "The way government has amended the PR Act, it is undemocratic. This step will only weaken the panchayati raj institutions in the state.""The powers of these institutions have been diluted by successive governments and they never allowed self-governance at grass roots level to function," Tarigami alleged. Panchyati Raj will only flourish when there is elected three-tier system. It consists of panchayats, block committees and District Development Boards (DDB). The chairman of DDB should not be nominated but elected by people as and when the situation for this becomes conducive," the CPI(M) MLA from from Kulgam segment said."Otherwise this whole exercise looks half-hearted," he claimed.Questioning the PDP-BJP government about the claims regarding its 'Agenda of Alliance'(AoA), Tarigami alleged, "This government has been speaking huge about AoA but the fact is even return of power projects to the state seems a distant dream.""Now, if the government has not succeeded in getting these power projects back to the state, at least they should repair the damaged transformers and transmission lines as people are suffering due to huge shortage of electricity, that too at a time when the power supplies are needed more in the winter," he said.

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