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| Penniless, Sushma fighting against governmental apathy | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Vaibhavi Chandel
JAMMU Jan 01: It is a shame for the administration that the family of a martyr who sacrificed his life for the nation is still facing the apathy of the government. The widow of Sanjeevan Singh Slathia who fought the country’s enemy and infiltrating terrorists on the most livewire Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and sacrificed his life five years ago, is still struggling to bring her life back to normal.
Sushma is still running from pillar to post to get a government job so that she could up bring her two young children and elderly parents of her husband. Sushma Slathia widow of the martyr has been struggling all these years for a job with the Jammu and Kashmir government and
defence ministry ever since Slathia, a rifleman in the army, while performing his duty got buried under the debris triggered by the deadly earthquake on October 8, 2005.
As ill-fate snatched her only support in her husband and ever since she is facing the pathetic attitude of the state government .
The army has already declared him a “battle casualty” while performing his duty under Operation Rakshak-3. Sanjeevan was performing his duty on a most sensitive observation post in the Tangdhar sector on the LoC in the Kupwara district of Kashmir when he got buried under the
debris. His body was never recovered and he was declared dead by the army.
Even after more than five years, the J&K government has adopted an insensitive approach towards the misery of Sushma and has failed to offer a permanent job to the widow..
Sushma says she “sees the future of her two children bleak because of financial constraints she was facing”. A local army formation offered her temporary job for a period of three months in March 2008 on a pittance of Rs.4500 per month. However, the contract was not renewed
after lapse of three months and she was left to fend for herself.
The General Administration Department (GAD) in the state secretariat that is supposed to take care of such issues was sleeping over the matter despite repeated reminders by the deputy commissioner, Jammu and the Zila Sainik Board for providing regular employment to Sushma
under the SRO 43 of J &K under which jobs are provided to kin of victims of terrorism and soldiers laying their life while fighting militants.
The DC, Jammu, on April 24, 2006 forwarded Sushma’s application for job on compassionate grounds to the GAD. The Zila Sainik Board also pleaded for job to her on May 29, 2006.
Lt.Colonel Ashutosh Bhagat of the 12th battalion of J&K Rifles on April 21, 2006 wrote to the DC, Jammu, that Sanjeevan had lost his life while performing active military duty on the LoC. He declared him as a “battle casualty” whose kin were entitled to government job under
SRO 43.
Bhagat pointed out in the letter that Sanjeevan was the only earning member in the family that was facing dire financial crisis following his death. Five years after the tragic incident, Sushma rues that the army has also not done anything to provide her a job. “I was provided a
temporary job in 2008 in the Brave Heart Empowerment Cell in the 26 Infantry Division, but my contract was terminated after three months,” says Sushma.
She says, “Army has provided the ex-gratia to the family but where lies the role of the state government. Under SRO 43 state government should have given employment to the widow of the soldier who died while performing his duty”.
Her grief has further deepened as she explains, “It is not about a government job, but how our government treats its soldiers. On one hand the Kashmir government is providing perks and cash incentives to the surrendered terrorists who mercilessly killed innocent civilians
and on the other hand it does not bother to take care of families of the soldiers who have laid their lives for the motherland,” says Sushma.
“ I can only say that it is my ill-fate as even the government has failed in performing its duty” she says. Her sons, Aditya who is 10 years old and Abhishek, 9 are studying in class 5th and 4th respectively. “I have to take care of the future of my children. The money given by the army will exhaust after some time and this is the reason why I need a permanent government job,” says
Sushma.
It is pertinent to mention here that family of another soldier named Devinder Kumar, belonging to Punjab, who was also posted at the same defence post and died during the earthquake, has been paid ex- gratia relief by the Punjab government whereas in this particular case the
J&K government has not paid a penny to Sushma.
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