Now, a VLW journalist in Kupwara!

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 24: Yet another Part Time Correspondent (PTC) of All India Radio (AIR) has turned out to be the regular employee of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. In a sad commentary on the lack of accountability and rape of service conduct rules in Ali Mohammad Sagar’s Rural Development Department, District Development Commissioner of Kupwara has confirmed that AIR’s Kupwara-based PTC, Mohammad Rafeeq Poswal, was actually a Village Level Worker (VLW) in Wavora, Lolab.

Authoritative sources revealed that as a sequel to the Early Times campaign against double-salaried mediapersons, who have been simultaneously working as permanent employees of the state government as well as journalists in brazen violation of service conduct rules, head of Regional News Units of Radio Kashmir Srinagar and Doordarshan Kendra, Bashir Malik, has sought official reaction from several DCs and Heads of Departments to the cases documented by this newspaper. Malik has also sought details regarding other PTCs from various districts in Kashmir Valley.

In reply to RNU (Radio Kashmir) letter dated July 26^th, DC Kupwara Mohammad Shafi Rather has officially confirmed to Radio Kashmir that its Kupwara-based PTC, Mohammad Rafeeq Poswal S/o Jamal-ud-din Poswal, R/o Batpora Haihama, Kupwara, was on payrolls of RDD Kashmir. DC has specified that Poswal was a permanent employee, posted as VLW in Wavora, Lolab. Contents of DC Kupwara’s letter No: DCK/PS/2011/2512-14 Dated 06-08-2011 have been forwarded by Radio Kashmir to Director General of News AIR for necessary action in the matter of cheating by the PTC.

Sources said that in yet another letter to Commissioner-Secretary Tourism and Culture, Atul Duloo, DC Kupwara has confirmed every detail of the Early Times story about one Zahoor Sultan War and expressed surprise how Secretary of Cultural Academy had allowed a permanent government employee and Cultural Assistant to simultaneously operate as a journalist and “Correspondent” of Radio Kashmir’s daily current affairs programme “Sheherbeen”. However, Mr Duloo has not reportedly initiated any action on the letter also addressed to Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary and other government functionaries.

Sources said that Mr Malik has also written a separate letter to DC Baramulla, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, asking his reaction to the Early Times expose on Radio Kashmir’s Baramulla-based PTC Kausar Salam. As already reported, Salam has been regularly taking salary as a Middle School teacher in Chandoosa zone of Baramulla district for long and simultaneously interviewing officers and Ministers as a journalist and Correspondent of AIR and Doordarshan.

Surprisingly, DC Baramulla has not sent any reply till date to Malik’s letter and two follow up reminders, suggesting former’s patronage to the “teacher journalist”. According to regular listeners, Kausar Salam has been enthusiastically projecting certain Baramulla officials including DC in AIR’s and DD’s news bulletins. Even after the Early Times expose, Kausar Salam had sought admission in a training institute operated by Chandigarh-based ‘Day and Night’ satellite television news channel. However, within days the management has terminated his admission when a copy of Early Times was made available to the channel last fortnight.

END