news details |
|
|
| A Look through the Mist | | POK Displaced Persons and Public Sector (Government Companies ) have Grievance | |
• Budget speech often reflects the vision of a government.
• There is no reference of POK DPs & PSU Employees in the budget speech.
• The J&K PSE are in confusion and distress since more than three decades.
• POK DPs have not been given any special support over last six decades in services/ business / education. No claims of properties have been given to POK DPs
By
*Daya Sagar
Some unavoidable “ musts” have not found any reference in the budget as well as the budget speech of Mr. Abdul Rahim Rather. POK Displaced families and the J&K Public Sector Employees had rested great hopes in the intentions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his most experienced & seasoned Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather. It was the 9th budget of Mr. Rather that he presented on August 10. Inspite of the fact that only Rs.3111 crores was projected as tax revenue , the non-plan salary expenditure as large as Rs.6,594 crore, the budget carried a provision of Rs.121 crores for salaries of Kashmiri migrant employees and released of DA for Government employees wef January 2009. A provision of over Rs.130 crore for pucca houses under construction for Kashmiri Migrants and revision of wages under Minimum Wages Act from Rs. 70 to Rs.110 /day are key indicators of the concern the Omar government has for the suffering masses. Budget speech often reflects the vision of a government.
The 1947 Displaced Persons from Pakistan Occupied Areas of J&K:
Those who were affected by the 1947 disturbances and were displaced from Pakistan Occupied areas of J&K too are highly disappointed . Ofcourse they have not been even given any special support over last six decades in services/ business / education / social amenities as has been extended to 1990 Kashmiri migrants . No claim of property left back in POK was given by GOI to POK DPs as was given to refugees who came to India from west or east Pakistan. No applications were ever invited till date for registration of property and members of families who were displaced from POK parts of J&K . There is no reference of POK DPs in budget speech.Mr. Lal Singh MP had arranged a meeting of POK DPs delegation lead by Rajiv Chuni in August 2005 at New Delhi with Dr. Man Mohan Singh Jee . Four years have since passed.
It is appreciable that rehabilitation of widows and orphans affected by militancy after1989/90 has been kept on priority. But how those who were killed, raped, looted and pushed out of their homes in POK have not been given due consideration even after 60 years is not understandable. To restore the dismantled Social mosaic of Kashmir 15000 jobs in the State and private sector have been proposed for KP migrants ( no doubt government will have to work on ground to build congenial environment worth convincing migrant KPs to fore go migrant status in lieu of a job in Kashmir Valley. So far efforts have not succeeded to take back even the families of Kashmiri Migrant employees for active duty. More over Rs. 132 crore have been kept for construction/completion of 5242 pucca tenements in Jammu under the Prime Ministers Reconstruction Plan for migrants.).
The POK DPs have reasons to allege mindful neglect against them if not discrimination. It was after 13 years of displacement that applications were invited by GOI in 1960 for ex gratia. Due to eligibility condition kept all displaced persons could not apply even for ex gratia. In all 31696 applications were received and may be another 15000 could not apply even for ex gratia due to conditions like date of migration, family income , location of head of family. Going by rough estimates the displaced families from POK must have grown to atleast 1.5 lac families ( say over 8 to 10 lac souls ) in 2009. Many DPs who went outside J&K have not been able to even get state subject certificates for their self / children. So government must offer some easy method to them for getting state subject certificates.
As per notes furnished by Ministry of Supply and Rehabilitation ( Department of Rehabilitation ) GOI and J&K Government in 1978 to Rajya Sabha Committee on petitions ( petitioner Bachan Singh Panchi through Sheikh Abdul Rehman MP) no claims of properties were given to POK DPs of 1947. Only an ex gratia grant amounting to Rs.3500 per family was payable to some families . DPs were further divided into two categories viz rural and urban. In the case of rural families Rs. 1000 was paid in cash and against the balance amount they were to be allotted land. To non agriculturists having income of Rs.300/pm or less Rs.3500 per family ex gratia cash was to be given. Department of Rehabilitation said in 1978 that out of 3700 urban migrated families from POK 1070 families were provided with 1600 quarters and in their case even the cost of quarters including development charges were deducted from Rs.3500 ex gratia rehabilitation assistance. 710 families were provided with house sites and 500 urban families were not allotted houses.1420 families did not respond.
Some POK DPs have not even received the small ex gratia cash / land in full. To start with the Joint Rehabilitation Board headed by the then Major General Tara Singh Bal decided to allot to DPs, land measuring 12 acres abi (irrigated ) / 18 acres Khushkee and then 8 acres abi / 12 acres Khushkee. Later on even 4 acre abi or 6 acre khushki norms were also not met in full. Sheikh Mohd Abdullah had extended very very special sympathies for POK DPs in 1950. After coming to power in 1975 Sheikh Abdullah had even recommended to GOI that properties of DPs be registered. Now since even across LOC trade has started , why not allow DPs to get their property details compiled and registered. Even allow them go across to collect the lost details of their families since when their elders left their hearths sword was hanging over their heads.
The Public Sector Families :
The other unavoidable that has not found reference in the Budget and budget speech is the plight of J&K Government Public Sector. The J&K PSE are in confusion and distress since more than three decades. Even Bureau of Public Sector Enterprises ( BPE) is considered only a defunct seat for senior officers to rest in. The sick and mis managed J&K PSE has to be carried as a liability as long as Government, the owner does not decide to liquidate these companies. How these government companies have escaped any reference in the budget proposals, particularly that of Mr. Rather , is not understandable. The PSE employees and their children have come countless times on the roads demanding delayed salaries. PSE like JKSRTC / Minister Transport had been making commitments but the employees had been again returning on roads after a month or two .Why ignore employee families and add more new buses. Some PSU employees have even died without receiving retirement benefits like gratuity etc.
The biggest human rights violation by any employer could be making the families of his employees starve due to non payment of salaries in time. It is more condemnable human rights violation in case the employer happens to be the Government itself. Imagine how could a Government that does not abide by the Payment of Gratuity Act / Payment of wages Act / Employees Contributory Provident Fund obligations , in its own companies, would come to the rescue of the employees working in the private factories / establishments. When Government can pay over Rs.120 crore salary to non working migrant employees should not government pay timely wages to employees of its own companies which are run by the Board and Chief Executives appointed by the Government?. So the Government should not simply drag the issue, better own and clear PSU liabilities.. Though late but still there is time for the Finance Minister to take active control of PSU affairs through BPE in his own hands. For revival of PSUs amongst other things there has to be Public Enterprises Selection Board as is there for GOI Companies. J&K SRTC employees are again on roads since 26 August . Chief Minister has expressed serious concern on Saturday. No doubt the assets reconstruction Company that J&K Government decided to float in 2005 could to be now given the active task for pinning the problem, the causes and the future course of action..
Omar Government should attend to the case POK DPs and PSEs in the proposed vision document. *Daya Sagar is leading scribe on Kashmir affairs [email protected]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
