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| Honor of martyrs - Just a melodrama | | | Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Bureaucracies are inherently antidemocratic. Bureaucrats derive their power from their position in the structure, not from their relations with the people they are supposed to serve. The people are not masters of the bureaucracy, but its clients, these are the words of Alan Keyes but the bureaucracy takes people as their subjects to rule upon. Many initiatives by the people are destroyed by the bureaucracy. These people even carry no feelings and responsibility towards the martyrs of the country and behave like monarchs of the past. Living example of discriminating Vir Chakra awardees is unresolved in Udhampur for the last three years and betwixt three deputy commissioners have replaced as district head. Sad story of late Krishan Singh Jamwal takes its flight from a small village Urlian of Udhampur about 20 kilometers from district headquarters. While serving in Army he was posted as Subedar in 8th Jak Rifle at Poonch in 1948 to guard the Indian territories. During the turmoil of 1947, the enemy army was very aggressive in Poonch sector to capture the Indian Territory and in a similar move; the Pak army captured one of the pickets held by Indian army. In a bid to vacate the same, Subedar Krishan Singh Jamwal with handful of army personals was deputed to vacate the captured picket. Man to man scuffle took place as 'bannyot fight' between the Subedar Krishan Singh Jamwal and Pak army personals during intervening night of 15/16 July 1948. Although the picket was recaptured but Subedar Krishan Singh Jamwal along with sepoy Bua Ditta, lost their life in the event. As recognition of their sacrifice, both were decorated by Indian Government in 1948 by conferring second highest war time gallantry award 'Vir Chakra'. In back drop of this history, the family members and residents of village 'Urlian' tehsil & district Udhampur, native place of martyr, formulated 'Krishan Singh Memorial welfare Committee Urlian' to keep the track afresh in the memories and to look for the welfare of down trodden. The announcements and commitments of Government of India to erect statues of gallantry award winners and highly decorated martyrs and to name conspicuous places in towns and cities on their name, boosted the 'Krishan Singh Memorial welfare Committee Urlian' to pursue this gesture of respect to the martyrs. With this background, a memorandum was submitted to the then Deputy Commissioner Udhampur in January 2016, by residents of village Urlian, Tehsil Udhampur (J&K) through organizer/president 'Krishan Singh Memorial Welfare Committee, Urlian' high lighting the demand for erection of statue of Subedar Krishan Singh Jamwal, Vir Chakra awaredee of 1948 and naming one of the conspicuous Chowk of Udhampur town on his name. Considering it as justified projection, then DC Udhampur was kind enough to direct Tehsil Udhampur vide letter number 7819-21/Adm dated 01-01-2016 to propose a suitable site for purpose on priority. Accordingly Chief executive Office Municipal Council Udhampur was also directed for necessary action in respect of naming of one of the chowk of Udhampur as projected. Subsequently Krishan Singh Memorial Welfare committee held discussions in the office of EO Municipal Council Udhampur on 20-01-2016 and as desired 'NOC" from nearby residents and shopkeepers was furnished to EO on 25-04-2016. After receipt of 'No objection' further a notification for 'No Objection' was published in DE dated 7th May 2016. As none objected, hence EO Municipal Council vide letter No: MCU/2016-17/860-62 Dated 13/8/2016 sought permission from Deputy Commissioner Udhampur for renaming of the existing Chowk Venus Chowk as 'Shahid Krishan Singh Memorial Venus Chowk Udhampur. When the communication of the EO was not responded by the DC Office, the committee members hotly pursued the matter both in EO's office as well as the office of DC Udhampur. The unimaginable visits by the committee members ultimately broke the silence on the file and DC office responded the letter of EO Municipal Council Udhampur and directed EO to 'proceed in the matter on the same analogy being adopted in the past' vide letter No: DCU/SQ/2476-77 dated 23-08-2017. Need not to mention that how quick was the response in the matter. It took complete more than one year to write two lines on the subject. Thereafter again the matter was dumped in the o/o EO Municipal Council for pretty long time that compelled the committee members to approach the EO in the matter who apprised that the complete file has been redirected to DC office and the matter is pending with Chief Planning Officer in the DC office Udhampur and the copies of the file have not been retained by the EO office. This way the honor of a martyr was shuttled in-between the bureaucracy like shuttle cocks and commemoration of the martyr remained licking dust in the file. Here 'Krishan Singh Memorial Welfare Committee' directed three questions to the Deputy Commissioner, such as:
1. Why it took complete one year in the o/o DC Udhampur's office to respond the EO's letterNo. MCU/2016-17/860-62 Dated 13/8/2016
2. What happened in the office of Tehsildar Udhampur to letter No: 7819-21/Adm dated 01-01-2016 addressed by DC Udhampur for identification of suitable site for erection of the statue of Subedar Krishan Singh Jamwal, Vr, C, awardees of 1948?
3. What happened to the file reportedly sent to DC office and as reported lying in the office of CPO office in DC office?
Had the intentions of the bureaucracy positive towards martyrs, it would have constituted a committee to identify the faces behind dumping the file of a martyr. The negative attitude of the district administration compelled the Committee to register a grievance with HE Governor of J&K that was addressed by DC Udhampur by requesting the Divisional Commissioner Jammu through letter No. 536/DC/Adm dated: 06-08-2018, to accord permission to rename the existing chowk as ' Krishan Singh Memorial Venus Chowk' Udhampur. Like the monarchial attitude of the bureaucracy, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu is also sleeping over the file for the last more than three months. This all speaks that honor of martyrs is Just a melodrama. |
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