The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday, 6 April, issued a fresh official protocol list putting the status of district development councils’ chiefs on a par with those of the mayors of the Jammu and Srinagar municipal corporations.
Nearly a month after the newly elected members staged a protest over the issue of protocol and monthly honorarium, the J&K General Administration Department issued the new “warrant of precedence”. A delegation of DDC chairpersons had also met Lt Governor Manoj Singha to express their concerns.
The new protocol list was issued by Commissioner Secretary (Hospitality and Protocol department) Talat Parvez Rohella. It would supersede all previous orders and be observed at all functions of the Union Territory of J&K.
The mayors of Jammu and Srinagar municipal corporations, along with DDC chairpersons, within their respective territorial jurisdictions were put at serial number 19A.
In their respective jurisdictions, the DDC vice-chairpersons have been put at serial number 26 along with all administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners, inspector generals of police, chief forest conservators, joint secretaries to the central government and major generals and officers of equivalent rank.
The DDC members have been placed at serial number 28, the last in the list, along with district magistrates, officers of the rank of brigadiers and equivalent, major heads of department, conservator of forests, district and sessions judges, block development councils'' chairpersons and the presidents of municipal councils and municipalities, the order said.
About a month ago on March 9, a day after the government had issued the warrant of precedence DDC members, across party lines, had boycotted a two-day training programme. They protested putting forth their demands for better status and monthly honorarium.
The protest lasted only a day, and was called off after the LG assured them. They had a meeting to discuss the same issue on 12 March.
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