Govt seems to have abdicated governance to Centre

Home Secretary takes roll call of J&K bureaucracy; Ministers on vacation, Secretariat empty, meetings canceled

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 11: Governor Narendar Nath Vohra, who has been a career bureaucrat and has served as the Union Home Secretary two decades ago, must be feeling jealous over the extraordinary importance his far junior successor, R K Singh, has got on his maiden visit to Jammu & Kashmir. Singh’s two-day staying in Srinagar bulldozed most of the official meeting and ministerial tours. With their administrative Secretaries being hijacked by Singh, most of the Ministers preferred to enjoy a vacation.

Curfewed corridors of Civil Secretariat on Wednesday and Thursday perhaps served as a testimony to the fact that the state government has abdicated governance to the Centre. When it happens during a coalition regime, whose principal partner has been struggling for ‘Greater Autonomy’ and telling New Delhi that her jurisdiction was constitutionally confined to just four-odd portfolios, it becomes an irony.

Singh demonstrated his bureaucratic courtesy of calling on the head of the state as well as the head of the government but not before sending a loud a clear message to the Police and civil administration at SKICC. Chief Secretary Madhav Lal went dancing to his tunes with the entire flock of his administrative Secretaries. Participants said that it was the bureaucrat from Delhi who presided over the high-level meeting taken with the state bureaucracy.

Madhav Lal ensured that all the senior IAS officers attended the meeting. Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Pawan Kotwal, was specially ferried from the winter capital. Those, who were in Delhi and home states on leave or official tours, were directed to return at once and form the audience at SKICC. Roll call of the cream of bureaucracy indicates that all Financial Commissioners, Principal Secretaries, Commissioner-Secretaries and Secretary to (state) Government were in attendance.

Agenda items, like return of migrants and security arrangements for Amarnath Yatra, Independence Day and cross-border terrorism, would have justified the meeting to an extent. It, however, ventured deep into the State and the Concurrent lists of portfolios---buttressing a perception that since 2009 New Delhi was treating the state government simply as a puppet. Significantly, Singh’s predecessor, Gopal Krishen Pillai, created ripples when he began announcing where curfew would be enforced and where it would be relaxed, last year. Home Minister, P Chidambaram, took similar meetings with the state officials, though each time he paid a courtesy visit to Chief Minister’s residence.

Singh virtually snubbed the state bureaucracy over J&K’s “poor performance” in plan implementation as compared to other states. “Mr Singh said that Jammu and Kashmir needs to catch up with the rest of the States in progress and development, assuring full support of the Centre to the State government in giving fillip to the developmental programmes. The benefits of the development initiatives should reach to the people, he said”, an official press release from Department of Information read.

With the Minister incharge Panchayati Raj taking care of his own Ramadan prayers and shrines in Srinagar, Singh did the task of reviewing the benefits of the Panchayat elections. Adds the official release: “Appreciating the State government for the successful conduct of the panchayati polls, he said that accounting and auditing system need to be put in place once power and funds are devolved to these institutions of local governance”.

Singh also looked concerned over infusing energy to the health institutions. “On Health sector, the Home Secretary called for infusing energy to the health institutions to make them patient friendly. He said lot of funds available under the NRHM should lead to the marked improvement of patient care in every nook and corner of the State. He called for private- public partnership to improve and augment the medicare facilities further”, press release of the state government reads.

Enjoying the breath-taking looks over Dal Lake, Singh swam to rehabilitation of the displaced population. “The Home Secretary also assured full support in conservation and restoration of Dal Lake together with proper rehabilitation of Dal dwellers. He said funds would never be allowed to come in the way of scientific restoration of this world famous water body”.

After taking an account of the state government’s working at the high-level meeting with bureaucracy, Home Secretary today tutored senior Police and paramilitary officials as to how they should deal with the law and order situation and insurgency in the state.

Without expressing any concern on the custodial deaths in J&K and also without asking the Police top brass why the state had failed to acquire a single Polygraph machine and lie-detector for its dilapidated FSL, Singh directed the forces to crush any rebellion with an iron fist. Government’s press release on the meetings is produced here verbatim.

“The Union Home Secretary expressed his satisfaction over the law and order situation in the State. He said nobody should be allowed to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere. He stressed on investigating the public interest cases with utmost impartiality”.

 “Mr. Singh asked the officers to keep vigil on the activities of the elements indulging in hawala trade. He said the amount received through various agencies by such elements is utilized for creating disruptive activities in the State, which should be checked effectively. He assured liberal funding for modernization of the police organization”.

“Earlier, in his welcome address, the Director General of Police Mr. Kuldeep Khoda said that JKP has achieved significant progress in the orientation of its jawans and officers in the latest techniques of policing. He said training skills in the training institutions throughout the State have been upgraded, adding modern weaponry and security gadgets have been procured to make the organization more effective”.

During the meeting, various senior police officers gave detailed briefing about the working of their respective wings which include ADGP, Armed/Law & Order, Mr. K. Rajendra Kumar, Vigilance Commissioner, Mr. P. L. Gupta, ADGP, Dr. Ram Lubhaya and Mr. Naveen Aggerwal, IGP, Mr. S. M. Sahai, Mr. Dilbag Singh, Raja Aijaz Ali, Mr. Owais Ahmed, Mr. Mohammad Amin Shah, Dr. B. Srinivas, Mr. M. A. Anjum, Mr. Farooq Ahmed, Mr. H. K. Lohia and Mr. Rauf-ul-Hassan.

Among others, the  meeting was attended by Joint Secretary (Kashmir) MHA, Mr. K. Skadan Principal Secretary, Home, Mr. B. R. Sharma, D.G. CRPF, Mr. K. Vijay Kumar and  Add; D.G. (Ops) CRPF, Mr. P. M. Nair”.

As most of the top-ranking bureaucrats and Police officials followed Mr Singh like a shadow, thousands of hapless people visiting Civil Secretariat and Police offices went back disappointed.

[To be continued…..]

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