Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Dec 9: The independent expert committee for socio-economic survey of the Pahari Speaking People in Jammu and Kashmir, which was constituted on the direction of Union Ministry for Home, seems to have no takers in the State.
Even as the expert committee is still on the job for a comprehensive survey, the stakeholder Pahari Speaking People are not in conformity with the Government over a fresh survey on their socio-economic condition.
The Welfare Board for the Pahari Speaking People is learnt to have taken up the matter with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Governor N N Vohra seeking winding up of the panel terming the entire exercise as futile, authoritative sources informed the Excelsior.
On the other hand, non-seriousness of the Government with respect to the survey report, can be gauged from the fact that the panel was formally assigned the task and sanctioned funds for the same three months after the stipulated period of submitting report, sources explained.
The expert panel for independent socio-economic survey of Pahari Speaking People was constituted by the State Government in April last following the direction of Union Home Ministry, which has been approached by the State Government for its recommendation of a Scheduled Tribe status to the community in Jammu and Kashmir.
The four-member panel, headed by Peerzada Mohd Amin, Head of the Social Work Department in Kashmir University, comprises Suresh Babu of Sociology Department in Jammu University, Ashish Saxena of Banaras Hindu University and Dr Shazia of Social Work Department in KU.
Though the panel was asked to submit its report in three months, the Government neither signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) listing the formalities for the required survey, nor released funds for the task for about six months, sources said.
The MoU was signed in October, a week ahead of the Darbar move to Jammu with the result that the expert panel started its work for survey last month and it would take at least one month more for completion of the task, provided no further hiccups in the exercise are found, sources said.
According to Peerzada Mohd Amin, head of the panel, first phase of the exercise in Jammu has been completed while survey work in Kashmir valley under second phase is under progress and the survey report will be submitted to the Government of India soon within stipulated period of time from the date of signing of MoU.
“For this huge exercise and crucial task, which may shape fate of a community, one can’t take any chance and therefore a scientific approach is being adopted by the panel for conducting survey,” he added.
However, on the other hand, Vice-Chairman of the Welfare Board for the Pahari Speaking People, Kefeel-ur-Rehman absolutely rejected the crucial exercise of Union Home Ministry and said that there was no need of fresh survey on socio-economic condition of the Pahari Speaking People in Jammu and Kashmir for according them ST status.
“A complete file pertaining to out case for ST status has already been submitted to the Government of India with two detailed reports on socio-economic condition of the Pahari Speaking People of J&K and now conducting a fresh survey is a futile exercise and only wastage of time,” he said.
Further pointing out delay in completion of the survey, Kafeel-ur-Rehman also alleged that the committee members were more concerned about the emoluments than the task assigned to them.
Even the Gujjars, who are opposing ST status to Pahari Speaking People, have reservations against the panel that did not respond to their formal request for taking them on the board over the issue.
Pertinent to mention that findings of the two earlier survey reports on socio-economic condition of the Pahari Speaking People in J&K, have been strongly contradicted by the Gujjar organizations.
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