Jammu, Dec 01 (KNS): Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, Senior BJP and KP leader, Incharge: Deptt of Political Feedback, BJP-J&K met Arun Mehta, Chief Secretary, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, at Civil Secretariat, Jammu today and took up the issues of PM package employees with him. Manoj Divedi, Secretary Commissioner, GAD was also present in the meeting. Chrungoo presented a detailed letter to the Chief Secretary in this regard elaborating the concerns.

He in his letter said that "in view of some serious current developments those have been taking place in the Kashmir valley for the last three months in particular, it needs to be brought to your kind notice that the Hindu & Sikh Minorities in Kashmir valley and especially the PM Package employees have been caught in a very unpalatable situation due to the selective killings in the valley.

They are given a feeling of being political waif and forsaken by certain sections in the administration and the society in Kashmir. Though both have a bounden duty to protect them and provide to them a sense of security in the valley in addition to the normal security and safety, they are being coerced to toe the dictum of their officers at the cost of their life in the valley. Infact, these hapless people need to be treated beyond like a 'trapped community' in their own homeland and their human rights regarding their rights like freedom of expression, liberty and life are as sacrosanct as they are for all others living in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

A number of their delegations interacted with me over the last a couple of months and discussed issues regarding their unstable living conditions in the valley. They made it known that a few of their officers in the valley were considering their absence from their work places seriously and thus causing enough of distress to the employees. They are threatened to be sent explanations, suspended and enforced salary cut. As a consequence of continued selective killings in the valley, the minority community employees were scared and advised by their own colleagues, comrades, landlords and sympathizers to leave for Jammu for some time till normalcy would return.

While I am sure that the government and administration are also aware of the current situation yet I request your goodself to take a lenient, compassionate and humanitarian view of the situation. In no case, any pressure should be enforced upon the minority community employees in the valley. The newly appointed PM package and other selectees from the minority communities recruited under the general category recruitment drive should also be helped to join at their respective places as and when they contact their offices and asked to report for duties only when there would be complete assurance of their safety.

Moreover, these employees need a proper and secured accommodation to live and stay in the valley. There are reports that their (who live in private accomodation) landlords in the current situation have also asked them to look for alternative arrangements for stay. In such a scenario, it is important that the administration provides them the government quarters which have been evacuated by the Jammu based secretariat employees in Srinagar. It will be a big help in favour of the PM package employees who have otherwise to fend for their accommodation in the valley.

I also maintain that the issue of resettlement of the Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir need not be confused with the PM Employment package. That has been the consistent and considered view of the displaced community. While the issue of employment is an issue of economic subsistence, the resettlement is a political issue that needs its final solution politically. In this connection, the displaced community appreciates the statement of the LG in which he also clarified the situation in April this year which coincided with the considered view of the Kashmiri Pandit displaced community in this context.

On the one hand, these hapless employees are fighting for their survival in the valley and on the other hand, a section of the administration, with the help of its pen, seems hell bent upon to deprive them of their due. Application of SO 194, non-promotions to them while the same are provided to non-PM package employees are a couple of examples to cite here. The employees have been forced to take the route of courts to get justice.

I most humbly request your honour, and reiterate, to waive off the application of SO 194 as it is absolutely unjustified and creates a breach between the government and the displaced community, besides putting the employees to greater economic hardships. It would also be in order to promote all those package employees who are already due for their promotion without any further delay.

The community of displaced population is very much worried about its around 6,000 young members recruited in the valley, who have been given to understand till date that they are either a band of bonded labourers or hostages in the valley of Kashmir. In this connection, the government is expected to review the whole situation afresh.

The undersigned makes an earnest appeal to your honour to accede to the requests made hereinabove". (KNS)