Off late, the Customs and Central Excise department, however, is moving with the durbar though it has set up its huge complex in Jammu.
The reason, says Shakeel Qalender, is that they had to collect the income tax from the people. The president of KCCI Dr. Shah agrees. “It’s an irony that when it comes to collecting money from Kashmir they keep an income tax office here but when it comes to help the people economically, the central government offices are reluctant to setup offices and work from Kashmir.”
Dr. Shah says the shifting of central government offices to Jammu in 1989 has hampered the growth of Kashmir industry over the years. “This is done to keep us underdeveloped. And the life of a Jammu businessman has been made easy.”
All the central government offices, says Shakeel Qalender, had a bias and show reluctance towards employing locals. “They had always preferred a certain community over the majority community to be employed in these central government departments,” he says. “Hardly anybody from Muslim majority community is employed in these departments.”
BSNL, a leading public sector cell phone provider, has five circles in J&K – three of them are in Jammu while one each is in Kashmir and Ladakh. The situation prevails despite the fact that half of its subscription base in Kashmir valley.
Some time back, when Government of India asked BSNL to shift back to Kashmir its Chief General Manager’s office, there were protests. Finally it was decided that it will follow durbar move.
There are around 2000 vacancies in central government departments; these are not being filled for the last two years. All the central government employees who are willing to work in Kashmir get a special risk allowance plus additional perks and secured residence. Nationalized banks send its officials to Srinagar in lieu of a “choice positing” after completing the first year.
In banks like State Bank of India and Union Bank of India, says Qalender, there was not a single Muslim employee prior to 1989. “It was only after 1989 that a drive was started to employ Muslim officers and clerks here owing to their own difficulty as Pandits and outsiders were reluctant to serve in the valley,” he says. “Likewise, insurance companies would have outside employees. Later they too recruited some local Muslims to run their organizations.”
Funds are allocated under each central ministry for development of industry across the country. J&K State also receives some allocation that needs to be spent during the fiscal year to balance growth in all regions. Besides, Government of India releases funds for the dissemination of information among the entrepreneurs or for holding of seminars, awareness camps and workshops in every state.
“Unfortunately, not a single benefit was extended to the valleyites over the past two decades as offices of these central agencies operated from Jammu,” says Qalander. “We have not taken the benefit of any schemes which was extended by ministry of MSME or other ministries for the development of state in some specific areas.”
He says the funds meant for Kashmir were never spent for the welfare of industries over the past 18 years in Kashmir. “It is only recently that some money has been spent on such activities in the valley,” he adds.
Over the years, FCIK has raised the issue of relocation of central government offices with the central government representatives, visiting dignitaries and with the board of directors of MSME. “We have taken this issue up with successive prime ministers over the years. We have taken this matter up with Sonia Ghandi and Manmohan Sigh and also with the two home ministers in the past,” says Qalender.
KCCI president Dr Shah says all the facilitating central departments are supposed to have offices in Srinagar. “Their staff shows reluctance as they are not keen and inclined to come over and work here,” he says. “The situation in the valley should not be used as a pretext to not work here. If they want they could even be provided with accommodation in some secured areas to work here.”
Dr Shah says that the employees of certain central government departments which opened their offices in Srinagar after 2000 showed reluctance to work in Srinagar. “Majority of these offices have workers from other community and they use it as a pretext in telling GOI that they can’t work here.”
