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| Sadbhavna: Govt turns it into sad story | | | Early Times Special
JAMMU, Aug 17: The security forces have spent crores of rupees on welfare projects in the state for creating valuable assets in the hinterland. In far-flung areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban, the forces spend money, routinely, on creating school buildings, community assets, computer and vocational training centres.
Most of these centres are located in areas affected by terrorism and the money is spent under Operation Sadbhavna. As the nomenclature suggests, the projects undertaken are meant for creating sadbhavna (or goodwill) among the masses.
Women widowed in terrorist killings and orphans are provided hostel and schooling facilities under these projects. Money is also spent on organizing Bharat Darshan tours of the school children as also religious teachers from these areas.
Capacity building of the terrorist-affected people to enable them to earn their livelihood or at least supplement their incomes is often the declared aim of these schemes. The social welfare department of the state government also undertakes similar projects.
One such project was started in Reasi some years ago by the Army at a cost of over Rs 1 crore. This project was aimed at helping the orphans and widowed women. The rehabilitation centre for orphans was evocatively named as Ankur and that for the women is known as Shakti Sadan.
The then chief minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, had presided over the function when the rehabilitation centres became functional in 2006. Some days prior to this function, General Pervez Musharraf, then ruling Pakistan, had floated the idea of self-rule and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had picked it up, as if on cue.
Mr Azad had used the occasion of inaugurating the rehabilitation centres to blast the PDP in harsh words, saying ``Self-rule kis chidiya ka naam hai? Agar elections ke baad apni sarkar self-rule nahin hai to self-rule kya hai?’’ He had also blasted the PDP demand for withdrawal of security forces from the state.
In the same breath, he had lauded the efforts by the Army to lend a helping hand to the state government by establishing the rehabilitation centres. Expressing his gratitude, he had assured the Army officers that his government will gladly take over the rehabilitation centres.
On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Reasi, Mr Baldev Sharma, told reporters in Jammu about the problems being faced these centres. The Army wanted to hand over these centres to the state government but the latter has been stalling the move, Mr Sharma said, adding these centres have been closed.
At least 33 orphans and over 100 destitute women are beneficiaries of these centres, the legislator said. If the government failed to step in, the fate of these orphans and the destitute women would be sealed, he added.
He urged the state government to redeem its pledge and come to the rescue of these hapless orphans and destitute women hailing from Budhal, Mahore, Ramban and Reasi.
Incidentally, there are many such facilities which the Army has invested in and handed over to the state government. In many schools, the Army has provided computers for the students but these are lying packed in the boxes, years after being donated.
When the computers were handed over, the Army even spent money on constructing computer laboratories for housing them. In most cases, however, the computers have been lying unused, uncared for because the government has failed to provided trained teachers to use them.
Incidentally, a vocational centre cum rehabilitation centre was created several years ago in Sagara village of Poonch district by an Army unit. The cost of this project was also approximately Rs 1 crore. After due appointment, a date was decided for its inauguration but the political dignitary who was to preside, failed to do the honours, as he went to Delhi due to some exigency.
Another inauguration date was scheduled but again something went amiss and it did not happen. The Army unit which had created the facility moved out of Poonch after some time and put locks on the facilities.
Some years later, it was opened in a half-hearted manner and is an abject apology of the rehabilitation centre it was meant to be.
These are just two instances and this has happened to many facilities created in this manner. Lack of coordination between the Army and the state government has thus led to colossal wastage running into several crores of rupees.
According to Army officers, by its conduct, the state government has made a mockery of the good effort being put in by them under Operation Sadbhavna. The Army would like to learn from the experience and refuse to create such facilities in future, they said.
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