Srinagar, Jan 5 : Senior cabinet minister Sakina Itoo on Monday candidly admitted that functioning as a minister in a Union Territory has become significantly more challenging compared to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, citing severe curtailment of powers.
Talking to reporters, Sakina Itoo said that despite having nearly three decades of political experience, including serving as a minister and deputy minister in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, working under the Union Territory framework has proved to be extremely difficult.
She said that during the early years of her political career, governance was not as constrained as it is today. “Power has been clipped. In a Union Territory, a minister enjoys minimal power. It is really tough to work as a minister in a UT,” she said, reflecting on the administrative limitations faced by elected representatives.
The cabinet minister said that the authority and decision-making space available to ministers in the present setup is far more restricted compared to the past, which affects the pace and effectiveness of governance. She indicated that ministers often find themselves unable to implement decisions independently due to structural constraints.
Notably, Sakina Itoo’s remarks echo a broader sentiment repeatedly expressed by several elected representatives, including ministers, who have pointed out that they do not enjoy powers to the extent that would allow them to override or effectively direct officers on administrative matters.
Political observers note that such statements underline the ongoing debate over the balance of power between elected representatives and the bureaucracy in the Union Territory framework, a concern that has been raised on multiple occasions since the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. [KNT]
