*Div Com submits report, SWD to shortly issue orders
LG’s Mulaqaat Prog helps in inclusion for reservation benefit
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 16: Finally, vast population of 43 villages situated within 0 to 6 kilometres from the International Border (IB) is all set to get justice as Lieutenant Governor’s Mulaqaat Programme has paved the way for their inclusion in the lists for obtaining reservation benefit, which was denied to them inadvertently by the administration last year.
The decision about granting three percent reservation to the people living within six kilometres from the International Border in the direct recruitment for Government jobs, admission in professional institutions and post-graduate courses on the lines of people living along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan was taken in the year 2019.
Vide Notification No.SO-226 dated July 17, 2020, the Social Welfare Department declared 508 villages in the districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua, which are situated within distance of 0 to 6 kilometres from the International Border as “Areas Adjoining the International Border” and even made amendments in Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005.
However, in the month of December last year a resident of village Sidher in Suchetgarh while participating in the Lieutenant Governor’s Mulaqaat Programme made startling revelations and said that his village was not included in the list for reservation benefit despite being well within 0 to 6 kilometres from the International Border.
Acting swiftly on the grievance of the border dweller, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha asked the Social Welfare Department to get the issue examined through the Divisional Commissioner Jammu as the possibility of more villages remaining out of the list of those identified and eligible for the reservation benefit cannot be ruled out.
Accordingly, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu asked the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu, Samba and Kathua for conducting detailed exercise and furnishing of reports.
The Deputy Commissioner Jammu has submitted a list of 21 villages for their inclusion in the already prepared list for obtaining benefit of reservation. Similarly, the Deputy Commissioner Kathua has recommended names of 17 villages and Deputy Commissioner Samba 5 villages for inclusion in the list for obtaining reservation benefit.
“These 43 villages have more than 1.22 lakh population and had Lieutenant Governor not issued directions after taking serious note of the grievance projected by one villager justice would have been deprived to these border dwellers”, sources said, adding “in normal course these villagers would have to make numerous representations to the administration for getting their issue resolved but Lieutenant Governor’s Mulaqaat Programme has paved the way for providing them justice without any sort of hassle”.
They disclosed that Divisional Commissioner Jammu has forwarded the names of 43 villages to the Principal Secretary to the Government, Social Welfare Department and formal orders regarding inclusion of these villages in the list already prepared for extension of benefit of reservation will be issued shortly.
“On the basis of the reports received from the concerned Tehsildars, the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu, Samba and Kathua have certified that none of the border village falling completely within a distance of 0 to 6 kilometres from the International Border has now been left out”, sources said.
As far as Jammu district is concerned, the request for inclusion has been made in respect of left-over villages namely Akhnoor, Bandral Kalan, Manda, Rakh Dhok, Gandli, Rathana, Chak Nanak, Rangpur Sadrey, Jassore, Khepar, Chak Baja, Tibba Bhains, Bokri, Talley, Makdoom, Arrazi Badyal, Makhey, Sidher, Badyal Qazian, Singhu Teda and Chumbian Bhawan.
The villages which have been recommended for inclusion by the Deputy Commissioner Samba are Trindi Jamora, Trindi Sangara, Radwan Kalan, Malani and Kalwal.
Likewise, the villages which have been recommended by the Deputy Commissioner Kathua are Mathra Chak, Chhan Charkhari, Chak Bathal, Hore, Raghunath Pura, Gadyal, Sanyal, Jalla Chak, Jandi, Muthi Hardo Dunga, Rattan Chak, Murli Chak, Chak Desa Choudharian, Malwan, Mukandpur Choudharian, Salalpur and Nihalpur.
It is pertinent to mention here that LG’s Mulaqaat Live Public Grievance Hearing was started in the month of October last year to make the grievance redressal mechanism more dynamic and efficient.
During the programme, he interacts with randomly selected people across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of their grievances and to gather genuine feedback about the overall performance of the online grievance redressal system.
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