Zaffar Iqbal
Srinagar, Jul 18 (GNS): Almost three months after the announcement by government to bring the ‘Pahari Speaking People’ in a separate reservation category, revenue department is hower yet to initiate the process of certification to deserving members of the Community.
A group level delegation told GNS that the government had announced a separate reservation for ‘Pahari Speaking People’ in April 2020. However even after three months whilst approaching the relevant authorities on many occasions, we are yet to receive any such certificate from the Revenue department.
The lackadaisical approach by the authorities, as per the delegation, has deprived the students and unemployed youth to receive any benefits under the newly rolled out reservation category for the Community.
“It is needless to say that the delay in issuance of the ‘Certificate’ is bound to affect hundreds of the candidates who may suffer and lose their chances in absence of ‘PSP certificates’ in the ongoing recruitment drive even as hampering their chanced in the upcoming job avenues, they said.
One of the members of delegation, Abbas Ahmed, a local resident of Karnah, rued that no one seems ready to take our applications despite them approaching the concerned authorities on many occasions.
The concerned department, according to Abbas, on the pretext of “not having any clear direction from government” had however started only after the announcement was made.
“Soon after the announcement was made, the process to issue the certificates started”, Abbas said adding “However it was stopped abruptly by them (authorities) over what they claim lack of knowledge and ambiguity in the law dealing with it.”
Naveed Bukhtiyar, a lawyer and activist from the Community fears that the non-compliance by the authorities to issue the certificates even after official announcement may severely dispossess the educated Community youth from possible job avenues. “The issuance of certificates this time around is pivotal as the government has already notified the recruitments of Class IVth posts in different departments alongside separate recruitment drives by J&K bank, and Rural Development Department for Accounts Assistant (Panchayat) posts”, Bukhtiyar said.
Expressing his concern, Bukhtiyar remarked that the Pahari Community has very less representation in the state administration. “We are receiving least response from the authorities”, Bukhtiyar said adding “We fear that if this time around we are deprived of the legitimate right we may go down without anyone actually knowing our genuine concerns.”
Meanwhile when contacted Teshildar Uri, Syed Kursheed Ahmad maintained that although they had no prior clearance on the process involved however a clarification regarding this has been received by the office few days back.
“As such we have been asked not to furnish any such certificate for the household whose annual income goes beyond the ceiling limit of eight lac rupees”, the official said adding “The rest of the modalities will be taken care off and due process in this regard will be initiated soon.” (GNS)
