Crime Branch probe ordered in migrant relief scam

RTI activist files appeal before CIC

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 30: Taking cognizance of a news story carried by Early Times on August 29^th, Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda, has asked IG Crime to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the monthly payment of relief money and rations to 500 non-migrant Kashmiri families by the Relief Organisation in Jammu.

Authoritative sources disclosed that Police Headquarters yesterday sent a communication, alongwith the Early Times story, to IGP Crime Raja Aijaz Ali, asking him to conduct a preliminary inquiry through Crime Branch into the facts mentioned in the report. Sources at Crime headquarters later confirmed that Crime Branch Kashmir was being directed to hold an investigation to establish whether 500 non-migrant families, including all 168 Muslim families from Budgam district, had been receiving relief in cash and kind from Relief Organisation in Jammu.

Cash relief of Rs 1250 per member but subject to a maximum of Rs 5000 per month is being paid to all migrant families who have no stable source of source. They are also entitled to free ration of 9 kilos of rice and 2 kilos of atta each soul besides 1 kilo of sugar per family. This newspaper had reported that none of the 168 Muslim families of Budgam district, who have been receiving the migrant relief from Relief Organisation in Jammu, has actually migrated from Kashmir valley.

In addition to that, more than 100 Sikh families of Budgam district have also been taking the migrant relief in Jammu without having physically migrated. Reports indicate that even among the 2671 Kashmir Pandit families of the district, at least 50 are such who have returned and settled back in Valley but the relief is being continuously paid to them in Jammu.

In reply to an application under RTI, PIO of Relief Organisation had revealed in the month of February 2011 that a total of 2671 Hindu families, 168 Muslim families and 336 Sikh families from Budgam district stood registered as migrants. And all of them had been continuously taking the relief in Jammu since 1990.

The PIO, however, declined to provide any information with regard to details of the beneficiary families. He argued that no information could be provided as to how many of these families had been living in migrant camps and how many of them had been provided government accommodation.

The PIO took refuge under section 8 of J&K RTI Act of 2009 which actually guarantees protection of the identity of government’s informants, privacy of individuals besides safety and security of the country and its citizens.

Applicant Raman Sharma has, yesterday itself, filed a complaint before Chief Information Commissioner Mr Ghulam Rasool Sufi under section 15 of J&K RTI Act 2009, asserting therein that no matter of privacy, safety or security of state or its citizens was involved in revealing identity of the families who, according to Government, had been receiving the migrant relief in Jammu. He has sought a direction to PIO of Relief Organisation Jammu to the effect that all the 3175 families of Budgam district, registered as migrant in Jammu, be identified.

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