Srinagar
In order to minimize the difficulties being faced by the “genuine applicants”, the Governor’s Administration is contemplating to simplify the procedure for grant of Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs) and Revenue Department has dashed a communication to the Financial Commissioner Revenue, Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners seeking their comments and suggestions in shortest possible time, Daily Excelsior reported.
The Daily Excelsior quoted official sources as saying that Governor Satya Pal Malik is receiving numerous complaints regarding undue harassment being meted out to the genuine applicants in getting the Permanent Resident Certificates from the competent authorities in almost all the districts of the State.
“Similar complaints are also being received by Governor’s Advisors during their public grievances redressal camps and finally need to simplify the procedure for grant of Permanent Resident Certificates has been felt by the Governor’s Administration so as to ease out the difficulties being faced by the people,” the report said.
“On the directions of the Governor, Advisor concerned and Chief Secretary, the Revenue Department has dashed a communication to the Financial Commissioner Revenue, Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners seeking their inputs, comments and suggestions in the matter,” reported Daily Excelsior.
“You are requested to furnish the suggestions taking into consideration the procedure already defined under the relevant rules viz-a-viz the checklist issued under Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act, 2009 enabling the department to proceed further in the matter,” according to report read the communiqué of the revenue department.
Acting on the letter of the revenue department, the Divisional Commissioners have written to all the Deputy Commissioners giving them a time-frame of two days for furnishing comments and suggestions based on their respective analysis of the difficulties being faced by the people in obtaining PRCs, the report quoted sources.
Stating that checklist is likely to be modified, they said, “at certain level in the Government there is an opinion that if the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents of any applicant have bonafide Permanent Resident Certificates there should not be any unnecessary demand of old record in issuing PRC to such an applicant”.
“Similarly, there is an opinion that in case of change required to be made in the Permanent Resident Certificate of a female after marriage unnecessary documents should not be demanded by the PRC issuing authorities and the bonafide certificates of her husband and in-laws should be relied upon,” Daily Excelsior quoted sources as saying.
“However, at other relevant quarters in the Government there is an opinion that there exists no flaw in the procedure in vogue and proper link is required to be established between the applicant and PRCs of his/her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents through proper documents so as to avoid issuance of PRCs to non-State subjects,” they said.
Moreover, some officers in the administration are of the stand that if a mechanism is evolved for timely issuance of old record to the applicants from the Central Record Rooms and strict adherence is shown to the timeline of 30 days fixed under J&K Public Services Guarantee Act the undue harassment to applicants can be easily avoided, sources told Daily Excelsior.
“All these aspects will be taken into consideration by the Revenue Department while recommending measures for simplification of procedure for grant of Permanent Resident Certificates to the State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik for approval,” Daily Excelsior quoted sources as saying.
Meanwhile, the State Administrative Council has cleared a proposal that renders the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) incapable of probing any complaint of human rights violation submitted one year after the incident.
Greater Kashmir quoted sources as saying that the SAC headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik Wednesday gave its nod for amending “The Jammu & Kashmir Protection of Human Rights Act”, limiting to one year the time in which victims can approach the rights panel.
“There was no such limitation period in the state Act earlier. The victim could approach the rights panel even after 20, 30 years after the incident,” Greater Kashmir quoted official as saying.
The other amendment, he said, makes it mandatory on part of the government to inform the SHRC within three months about the action taken on its recommendations.
“He said the amendments are aimed at bringing the state law at par with National Human Rights Commission Act, which governs NHRC as well as rights panels of states other than J&K,” reported Greater Kashmir.
