Fast-unto-death by KPSS members enter day 10, want written assurance from Lt Gov

Srinagar, Sep 29: The fast unto-death by Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) members, including president Sanjay Kumar Tickoo, continued for the 10th day on Tuesday, demanding written assurance by the administration that non-migrants are eligible for recruitment under Prime Ministers package.

This despite the Administrative Council (AC) last week approving that both Kashmiri migrants and non-migrants are eligible for recruitment under the Prime Ministers package.

“Yesterday late in the evening, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Srinagar, met us and asked us to end our fast. He asked us to end the fast and then discuss the issue with the administration,” KPSS member Sandeep Koul told UNI on Tuesday.

However, he said ‘till the time written assurance is given to them, they will not end their protest as the administration has been holding talks from last several years without any result’.

When asked what is the issue when the Administrative Council, which met last week, has approved that both Kashmiri migrants and non migrant Kashmiri pundits are eligible for recruitment under PM package, he said ‘we want a written assurance from the government’.

“We have heard about these approvals in the past also but until we get in writing our fast will not end,” he said, adding this is a question of our 500 educated youths who are unemployed.

He said two members from the office of Deputy Commissioner (DC), Srinagar had met Mr Tickoo on September 21 at Ganesh Mandir Ganpatyar Habba Kadal in the old city, where he is on fast. “We informed the team about alleged sabotage by Disaster Management Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRR&R) Department for the past two years despite orders by High Court, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the appointment of 500 unemployed youth of the community,” he said.

He said 800 left out non-migrant Kashmiri pandit families living in different parts of the valley were being ”punished” by the DMRR&R. “Since abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A, we the non-Migrant Kashmiri Pandits living in Kashmir Valley are facing harassment and isolation at the hands of Relief Department,” he alleged.

He said despite multiple directions from High Court and recommendations from the Central Government through the MHA, Relief Department refused to implement them. He said 808 families stayed in Kashmir when majority members of the community left Kashmir Valley in early 90s.

Mr Tickoo said there are 500 educated unemployed youth and 69 have already crossed the age limit and become over age.

He said, “Our demands included Vigilance inquiry against the officers and officials of the Relief Department for deliberately stalling and sabotaging Relief and Rehabilitation of Pandits living in Kashmir Valley and misusing their official positions to harm the community members, implementation of High Court directions and recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding Jobs to the unemployed 500 educated Kashmiri Pandit youth, one time age relaxation.”

Other demands were easy and stress free process of providing bonafide certificates to all Pandits, monthly financial aid to 808 non-migrant Kashmiri Pandit families living in Kashmir Valley, providing accommodation to all deserving Kashmiri Pandit as per recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs and extension of benefits of Migrant Welfare Fund to the non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits living in Kashmir Valley.

The AC last week approved the re-allocation of 1997 number of unfilled supernumerary posts for recruitment of registered Kashmiri migrants and non migrant Kashmiri Pandits, who are willing to serve and settle down in Kashmir under the Prime Minister’s Package.

The Administrative Council also approved conducting the recruitment only on the basis of written test and skill test, without viva-voce, for the selection of suitable candidates through the J&K Services Selection Board within six months of the referral of posts by the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, and Rehabilitation& Reconstruction.

The re-allocated posts include posts of Sub Inspector Commercial Taxes and Assistant Compiler in Finance Department (997), Field Assistant, Field Supervisor (Mushroom) and Assistant Store Keeper in Agriculture, Production & Farmers Welfare Department (150), and Depot Assistant in Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department (300), and Class IV in Revenue Department (550). In order to fast track the recruitment’s, the posts have been allocated with simpler recruitment rules based on Graduation based; Higher Secondary based and Matric based qualification criteria.

The present re-allocation of posts is part of the 3000 posts that were announced in 2015. So far, only 806 selections have been made and 1997 posts remained unfilled due to various reasons.

The decision of re-allocation of the unfilled posts is aimed at accelerating the recruitment under the PM’s package and the benefits of employment to Kashmiri migrants and non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits.