Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 20: Even as netas in Kashmir owe millions to the government in the form of rentals of the government accommodation, the administration has asked the widow of a martyr, who was killed by terrorists to clear the dues henceforth.
Ghulam Nabi Mir (Patel), who as per observers, believed in the idea of India and was its foot soldier in Kashmir was killed by terrorists in 2018. Now the administration wants his poor widow to clear Rs 7,42,080 rupees as rentals for the accommodation in Pulwama district. The helpless widow has been served a formal notice.
The decision of the concerned authorities has drawn severe criticism from various quarters who find it injustice with the widow whose husband stood for nationalist sentiment in restive Kashmir and died for the cause of the mainstream.
The government decision is in contradiction to the stand of the authorities who have been seemingly silent over fortunes grabbed by the netas and other influential in Kashmir.
This is happening at a time when the government has been unable to recover crores of rupees from the influential including former ministers, lawmakers, party workers, police officers and bureaucrats in Kashmir as they are among defaulters of the state government’s estates department, owing it around two crore rupees as rent for official accommodation they use.
Official documents reveal that ministers, MLAs, MLCs and workers of political parties living in government apartments at posh areas of Srinagar city like Hyderpora, Cooperative Colony Peerbagh, Sonwar, Gupkar and Tulsi Bagh owe over Rs 57 lakh rent to the estates department.
Similarly, the top brass of police which includes IGs, SSPs and other police officials of different ranks have an outstanding of over eight Lakh rupees towards the estates department as rent.
The Estates Department came into existence in 1968. Prior to this all these government Bungalows, Buildings, Quarters, and Commercial Units were controlled and managed by the housing division of PWD(R&B) circle in both Jammu and Kashmir. |
