Some people may still allege discrimination, will LG Sinha undo SRO 306 of 1979 & SRO 185 of 2007 & prove them wrong
Let there be rationalisation of District Administrative units of UT of J&K, people look at LG for that
DAYA SAGAR
LG UT of J&K Manoj Sinha has messaged his people on this 2nd Sept ( while speaking in a function organised for dedicating the Jammu Smart City projects to the people) , Quote ” “Lekin Ek Baat Hamein Dhyaan Rakhne Ki Hai, Jab Bhi Jahan Koyi Karykram Hota Hai, Abhi Bo Jo Hamare Dimmag Mein Baith Geya Ke jammu Ke Saath Vedh Bhav Huya.. Jammu Ke Saath Vedh Bhag Huya, Mein Bahut Binamrata Poorvak Nivedan Karna Chahta Hoon Is Fobia Se Ab Bahar Nikalne Ki Jaroorat Hai, Ab Jo Prashasan Hai… Ya Desh Mein Jo Sarkar Hai, Hum Log Har Bhashan Mein Kehte Hain Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas, Fir Is Baat Ki Gunjaeesh Nahin Reh Jati, Jammu Bhi Hamara kashmir Bhi Hamara ” unquote.
He has also be quoted as opined that those who raise the bogey (of discrimination) are trying to fail the plans of Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the Government of India which want complete UT’s integration with Centre, both Jammu and Kashmir are getting their due. True Manoj Sinha has been regularly expressing very intimate & ‘immediate’ concern for bringing equitable development of all the people & regions of J&K by bringing the local administration near to common man both in approach & time. It appears that he may be getting feed backs suggesting that people outside Kashmir valley ‘still’ feel that they are being discriminated by the government even in 2022 and hence he has tried to reach the common man of the ‘region’ suggesting that ‘now’ he is there for equitable development and undoing the wrongs of the earlier ‘elected’ governments in the erstwhile state of J&K. His word should be believed and instead making isolated observations all those who feel concerned for their people must provide regular feedback on the on ground progress & shortfalls , if any, as regards implementation of the policies of UT government and comment only, ofcourse after giving him some time for applying corrections.
No doubt so far all these years the areas outside Kashmir Valley had not been treated politically & administratively with fairness by the democratically elected governments and hence in case some people outside Kashmir valley still carry ‘prints’ of the discriminations they need be attended sympathetically and where ever needed corrections need be applied.
The neglect that the areas outside Kashmir valley have been facing well reflects from state of affairs concerning exploitation of huge potential for commercial tourism that exited/ exists outside Kashmir valley, lack of programmes for commercial development even of pulses ( like Rajmas), Horticulture ( even citrus & mango ) etc like it well reflects from the condition of the ordinary road project from Basohli to Bhaderwah that was started somewhere in 1962 or so where even in 2022 the track from Bani to Bhaderwah is named by some as ‘fair ‘weather road’ worth commercial tourism which has been surely due to lack of due voice of the people outside K. Valley in legislature / administration. People outside Kashmir valley surely looked at LG Manoj Sinha with great hopes for atleast undoing the unfair treatment meted to them in the past, particularly as regards representation in the Legislative Assembly and positioning of district Administrative units. Anyhow as regards the Legislature Manoj Sinha cannot get applied any needed corrections since the Delimitation Commission 2020 has already issued final orders in 2022 allocating lesser seats in the Legislative assembly of UT of J&K to areas that had constitutionally more elected MLCs in the Legislative council of J&K State. which could be now reviewed only after 2031. Anyhow as regards rationalisation of District Administrative units is concerned Manoj Sinha can surely still do that, will He ? The unfair treatment that the areas outside Kashmir Valley have received after 1947 could well be seen by LG UT of J&K from the brief being quoted here after. Before 1947 Kashmir valley was junior partner to other areas of princely State of J&K and it was rather the only , promoted destination for commercial tourism. For the purposes of administration the princely state was divided into three administrative units (1) Jammu Province (2) Kashmir Province (3) District of ‘Ladakh’. As per the administrative report of Maharaja’s government published in 1942 Kashmir Valley spread over just 3 districts of Anantnag, Baramulla and Muzaffrabad was 8539 sq miles ( nearly 22200 sq km ), Jammu region spread over 5 district plus 2 Jagirs (Mirpur, Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi plus two Jagirs Poonch and Chenani) app12401 sq miles ( app 32200 sq km) and Ladakh was 63554 sq miles (app 165000 sq km) . Provisional population as per 1941 census was only 17,28,686 souls for Kashmir Valley where as it was 20,01,557 soul for Jammu region and 3,11,915 souls for Ladakh region. Even after 1947, excluding the areas of POJK, the area of Jammu Region has been 26293sq km and Kashmir Valley has been only 15948 sq km . Upto 1978 there were 6 District Administrative units in Jammu Region and only 3 District administrative units in Kashmir valley.
District Reorganisations done in1979 (SRO 306 of 6/6/1979. Anantnag, Srinagar, Baramulla to (Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Badgam, Baramulla, Kupwara and no increase in Jammu division) & 2007 (Congress i headed PDP- Congress Government SRO 185 of 22 May 2007 ( Kashmir region Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Badgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara and Jammu Division Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban ) by Elected Governments so unproportionally increased the Districts in Kashmir valley from 3 to 10 and the districts in Jammu Division too from 6 to 10.( Kashmir Valley from Anantnag, Srinagar, Baramulla to Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Badgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara and Jammu Region from Kathua , Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur , Doda to Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban ). Open discrimination meted to areas outside Kashmir Valley by the Congress-PDP ‘popular’ Government could be easily read by caring person in LG Manoj Sinha from the fact that the Rajouri District that had 7 Tehsils in 2006-07 was not bifurcated while in Kashmir Valley Shopian was carved out as a new District with only one tehsil. The concept of planning in India is based on the principle of local level planning. In a State / UT of India a District occupies a pivotal position in planning because its location and administrative status becomes immediate &working source of data and information to carry out plan programmes. So , to have a rational view of the neglect of requirements ( particularly of the distant/ remote area) people it will be worthwhile for any rational analyst to have a look at the number of districts that existed in Kashmir valley in 1957 ( 3 ) & that are there in 2022 (10) and that existed in Jammu Division in 1957 (6) & that are there in 2022 (10) or Tehsils and Niabats that exited in different districts before issue of No. Rev(s)169 of 18-07-2014 for creating more new Tehsils in 2014 i.e when District Shopian was there with only one tehsil and Rajouri District of Jammu was there with 7 Tehsils spreading over 2630 sq km .{ i. Ganderbal with 3 tehsils and 259 sq km 2011 census and 1045 sq km as per website ) (ii) Bandipora with 3 tehsils and area of just 345 sq km district website/ census-2011 (iii) Kulgan with 3 tehsils and area of just 410 sq km ( census 2011) and 1067 sq km as per website. The data on the district websites has been quoted for idea only and is subject to correction). Some districts in Valley may be very small but it may not be possible to reverse reorganisation so the correction can be applied only by increasing districts outside Kashmir Valley in UT of J&K. Keeping in view the performance of elected governments of past and even the fate of agitations done by people of Rajouri district in 2017-18 hopes for justice rest more only in LG Manoj Sinha in whom the common man has started seeing signs of ‘Aam Purash’ care take.
To be continued
(The author is a Sr Journalist &
analyst of J&K Affairs. [email protected]).
