'I am bound by the financial congestion to go ahead with development' says Jali Patan Panchayath president as he completes three months in office

Bhatkal 20 October 2018: (Bhatkallys News Bureau) Syed Adam Panambur, made it to the headlines in the local media earlier in July this year after sweeping the election for Jali Patan Panchayath President after contesting for post backed by local socio-political organization Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem Bhatkal. Though the 43 year old was elected for the post only for eight months after his predecessor Abdul Raheem Shaikh resigned from the post blaming poor management by the administration, the residents have noticed enough changes in the administration in the three months of Aadam holding the office and are hoping to see reforms and changes in the Jali Patan Panchayath limits they have been waiting for to happen. Bhatkallys.com met Syed Aadam on Monday and discussed/ shared ideas on a range of issues in a 30 minutes interview as October 15 marked completion of his three months in the office. Here are the excerpts from the conversation: Q.: Why did you decide to contest the election for President of Jali Patan Panchayath? A.: I wanted to help my fellow villagers, particularly the poor section of people, I wanted to fix some of the regular problems faced by the residents in Jali patan Panchayath limits like clean drinking water facility, sewage system among others. Q.: Were you concerned that Hindus/ BJP backed candidates will not vote for you because you are a Muslim and are backed by Tanzeem? A.: Absolutely not, there was no such thing in my mind, I always had good relationship with every one there, even they were good to my from the beginning which can be translated from the fact I won unanimously, if there were any such feeling between us, this result wouldn’t have been possible. Q.: Are you satisfied after working for nearly three months now at the office? A.: No I am not satisfied I am not able to help poor people, we do not have enough funds for now, we have spent over Rs. 8.5 crores during this term before my election but there is not development to be seen in out residential areas and basic problems too are not resolved. Though we try to do our best to help people and run a people friendly administration but I personally believe we have not been upto the mark as I expected before taking the share, and I give this to lack of funds. Q.: What do you think is needed the most in the JPP limits? A.: We have to get the basic facilities right first. Drinking water access to all, proper and potholes free roads across our limits are needed the most as of now, and we are working towards achieving it. We have almost been successful in making drinking water accessible to everyone in our limits in last three months, but the latter is a difficult goal to achieve due to financial congestions. Q.: What are the major hurdles you face in performing your duties? A.: There are several hurdles to point out, as said earlier funds are the barrier, the limited time of 5 months I have now at the office is also a hurdle as I can’t make long term plans, plus sometimes people don’t understand our confinements and blame us for not working, they don’t know what is clutching us. Q.: If you are elected for the next term again, what will be on top your agenda/plans? A.: Well, in case I manage to win another full term, then I believe it will be interesting to work there, as there will be funds, and I will be free to work towards development and upliftment of our wards. We have 20 wards now and there is no absolute balance about fund distribution, before I was elected president, in a ward a road at the cost of Rs. 40 lac was constructed wherein only two houses are located and hardly 2-4 vehicles ply on the road while residential areas like Azad Nagar and Moosa Nagar with hundreds of houses did not get such bounties for roads. I will bring about a balance between that funds distribution hopefully. Q.: What is that one thing you want to do before completion of the term? A.: Making GPS of Attikraman lands. I do not have even a single piece of Attikraman plot but I really wish that people who are struggling and losing their houses, lands and livelihoods to forest department can get their plots, lands under GPS. It will be a lifetime of a achievement for me to do, I have already started working on it and have lately called number of meetings with the authorities and it is a work under progress which will start yielding results in sometime now. Although the GPS doesn’t mean one gets the ownership of the land, but it partly gives rights to the people. Q.: Are you hopeful of being re-elected during next term? A.: I never lose hope, you live with the hope till you die. (Aadam concluded). (Bhatkallys News Bureau/ Ismail Zaorez) (This interview was conducted in Urdu and translated into English. It has been lightly edited)