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| Pooh pooh: Free facilities not available even on payment | | | Early Times Reporter
Kishtwar | Apr 14
The vision to end the digital divide by providing free access of information technology to the common citizens does not seems to work in Jammu and Kashmir as the Community Information Centers (CICs) established by the state government with the help of union government remains inaccessible to the general masses.
One of such centers in mountainous locked Kishtwar district is testimony to the fact that the barriers for access to ICT, such as difficult geographical terrain and lack of infrastructure, is not giving desired result and people have not access to the centers even on payment of money.
The CIC centre in Kishtwar town, being operated by Rural Development Department, has become a VIP place for the local residents as they alleged that the centre was being used only by the staff members of the office, while the locals were being denied any access.
Younis, a post graduate student of Jammu Universit, said that intitially there were about fifteen computers in the CIC centre and all of them were functional but with the passage of time only one computer is in working condition, while rest of all have been replaced by the inferior quality systems.
Armed with high-tech internet facilities by means of V-SATs the Centre has not till date enrolled any local desirous to access the facility and no account has been maintained for the fee paid by some students, who were earlier being provided paid training facility by the RDD.
The CIC centre, which was supposed to bring IT revolution to the remotest part of the country, has now become a defunct institution; Curtsey: Block Development Office Kishtwar.
It was felt that the basic needs of citizens such as information, education, entertainment and health services can be addressed through the establishment of Community Information Centres in the state and the centres would serve as a platform for e-governance, e-learning and other IT enabled services in the state.
Sources said that in the year 2000 the government of Jammu and Kashmir in the first phase decided to cover 60 of the total 135 blocks in the state.
A senior officer from the RDD ministry said that each centre is well- equipped with infrastructure including one server machine, five client systems, one each of a Laser Printer, Dot Matrix Printer, modem, LAN hub, TV, Webcam and two UPS (1KVA, 2 KVA). Each Centre is connected to the network through a remote VSAT.
Each CIC, he said, has two CIC Operators (CICOs) for managing the centers and providing services to the public. CIC operators have been trained to manage the centres, provide services and impart training on basic computer operations and software packages to visitors, he added.
However, the scenario is completely different in CIC Kishtwar. The locals alleged that most of the infrastructure is missing from the centre though the BDO was requested to provide access to the centre. "We have even approached ACD Kishtwar in this regard but nothing has been done so far", Abass, a local student added.
The Block Development Officer (BDO) Kishtwar Kishori Lal was not available for the comment. |
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