Ministry Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), formerly known as Ministry of Small Scale Industries (MSMI), is another central government institution whose office is permanently stationed in Jammu. Though it is the main sponsor of industries in the valley, the service sector enterprises that were added to its profile after it was renamed in 2006 have been bearing the brunt. In every state, there is a directorate of SISI (Small Industries Services Institute) — now renamed as Director MSME. Till 1989, the director of this department was based in Srinagar. “He fled after 1989 and the office has been permanently kept in Jammu since then,” says Shakeel Qalender. “In the last two to three years, they have only conducted some small workshops and some awareness programs and seminars,” he said.
The discrimination gains severity with the Director General Foreign Trade’s office unwilling to operate from Srinagar. “There is very minimum foreign trade from Jammu but still the office operates there,” says Dr. Mubeen Shah. “In the last budget, government said it will have one office here (Srinagar). Still no central government office has been opened in valley which is hampering our development, particularly our economic sector.”
Traders also rue operation of National Small Scale Industries Corporation (NSIC) from Jammu. The corporation works on the marketing front for the small scale industries. In addition to facilitating exhibition of goods in states, they provide machines on rent.
“Had the co-corporation been based in Kashmir, it could have benefited the small scale industries of Kashmir but unfortunately this organization too is based in Jammu,” says Qalender.
In power sector, the Power Grid of India (PGI) has its J&K office in Jammu while the newly established office of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission too is in Jammu. The Rural Electrification Corporation, which brings electricity to remote areas, also doesn’t have its regional office in Srinagar. NHPC has set up an impressive office wherefrom its regional director operates.
The field office of the Govt. of India’s Ministry of Company Affairs – regional office of Registrar of Companies (Jammu and Kashmir) is also based in Jammu. The jurisdiction of the office extends to the entire State of Jammu & Kashmir.
The website of ROC J&K has no information regarding the whereabouts of its directors and their latest addresses. The website states on its homepage – “In the year 1989-90, large number of Promoters and Directors belonging to particular community migrated from Kashmir Valley to Jammu and other places in India. The Offices of the Companies belonging to such community are lying closed and their units/Factories were also closed. In addition to this in case of some other defaulting companies the present whereabouts of Directors and their latest addresses are not known to this Office.”
The concentration of central government offices in Jammu city is not limited to banks concerning economy. Even recruitment boards prefer operating from Srinagar.
The regional office of Railway Recruitment Board, Jammu-Srinagar, which is one of the 19 RRBs on the Indian Railways, is based in Railway Colony (West) Jammu as per the information available on the RRB website. RRB functions under the direct control of the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB), Ministry of Railways in matters relating to policy and procedures for recruitment, monitoring and for review of performance; on advise regarding priorities as required and regarding system improvement from time to time.
The office of National Informatics Centre (NIC), the Department of Information Technology, which came into existence in J&K State in 1988, has its State Centre (HQ) at NB-12, Mini Block, Civil Secretariat, Jammu. NIC, according to the information available on its website, is “providing network backbone and e-Governance support to State Government, Central Governments, District Administrations and other Government bodies.”
For Kashmir, the website mentions, NIC is having a “Move Cell’ which moves along with Darbar to Civil Secretariat Srinagar from May to October every year.
There has been an interesting exception to the mass exodus of central government departments after 1989. The office of department of income tax (DIT) stayed all along in Srinagar in the past 20 years. Although the commissioners office was shifted to Jammu but the additional commissioner was all along stationed in Srinagar over the past 20 years.
