Srinagar, Dec 17: As District Development Councils (DDCs) in Jammu & Kashmir are set to complete their five-year term, a shocking revelation has come to light: one DDC member did not attend a single meeting of district development council Baramulla after being administered the oath.
Former Minister Taj Mohiuddin, who was elected as a DDC member from the Parampeela seat of Baramulla, failed to attend any meeting of the council after taking oath on December 28, 2020.
Taj, who previously served as a cabinet minister in the PDP-Congress government and the NC-Congress government, was elected as a DDC member after defeating the Peoples Conference candidate.
“Yes, I didn’t attend any meeting,” Taj confirmed to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). When asked why, he said: “I didn’t have any specific reason to do so.”
Although he skipped all council meetings, Taj did turn up to cast his vote in the election for DDC chairperson and vice-chairperson on February 13, 2021.
Taj, a two-term MLA from Uri, served as a cabinet minister in the PDP–Congress government from 2002 to 2008 and in the NC–Congress regime from 2009 to 2014. He lost the 2024 Assembly election from Uri to NC’s Sajad Shafi Uri when he contested as an independent backed by Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party. Recently, Taj returned to the Congress.
His absence from all council meetings for the past four years and ten months has raised serious questions about the rationale and wisdom behind his decision to contest the election.
“Why should anyone contest an election if he or she is not willing to shoulder the responsibility that follows? It is baffling that a sitting DDC member has not attended any meeting of the council for nearly five years. The council is the only appropriate forum where a DDC member can represent his constituents,” said a politician, wishing not to be named.
As per the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, the chairperson is required to convene at least four meetings of the DDC in a financial year, one in each quarter. The Act also provides that failure to attend three consecutive meetings of the council by the chairperson or vice-chairperson can be grounds for moving a no-confidence motion against them.
While the Act specifies action against the chairperson or vice-chairperson for failing to attend meetings, it does not explicitly mention removal of ordinary members for absenteeism. (KNO)
