JAMMU: After human beings, it seems as if it is now the tum of government offices and public undertakings to take flight from thé trouble-torn Kashmir valley.

Already 15 central government departments and public sector units have withdrawn partially or fully from the valley in the last two years.

The latest to join the list are the Industrial Development Bank of India, the Unit’ Trust of India and the NAFEED. The IDBL and the UTT, which had shifted their offices from Srinagar to the security zone area of Badami Bagh cantonment in 1989, have closed their offices and shifted to Delhi. The Nafed, which was operating from Gogibagh area for the last 10 years, closed its office in 1991.

The census department stands already closed in Srinagar following blasts in its office at Batmaloo and two fire incidents which gutted the building. All important records of the census were also destroyed and the office is now functioning from Jammu, This is the reason that the department could not carry out any survey in Kashmir since 1990 onwards, although   it has completed its surveys in Ladakh and Jammu regions.

The regional passport office, which was functioning from Karan Nagar area of Srinagar city has been lying closed for last four years after the building was damaged in an explosion and the department is operating from Delhi, Despite several requests by different organization, the government has not taken any decision on Opening up of a passport office branch in Jammu.

Other central government departments which have bade farewell to the valley are the Geological Survey of India, the archeology department and the field publicity wing of Information and Broadcasting department. Even the newsrooms of the All India Radio and Doordarshan have been shifted to Delhi and Jammu respectively since 1990. The news bulletins aired from Delhi and Jammu involve greater cost  Postal operations in Kashmir valley remain badly affected and is operating in a very limited way. Most of the post offices in Srinagar city have closed and employees working in these offices have been attached to the main head office, functioning in a high security zone area near Sher-I-Kashmir park in Srinagar. Similarly, telecommunication department, which became target of attacks by militants, minimized its operations and reduced its activity in Kashmir; Many installations of the telecom department were damaged in bomb explosions. These also included mini-exchanges at Badgam and Pulwana districts of Kashmir valley. The department has shifted its employees to Jammu, retained only the minimum number in Srinagar and at other exchanges in Kashmir.

However, some of its employees are being shifted from Srinagar to Jammu and Jammu to Srinagar in phases and they are provided with lodging and boarding facilities in the installation premises,

In the banking sector, the Reserve Bank of India has only one Muslim employee on its roll and he is retaining the Srinagar office, while all other officers and employees of the RBI have been adjusted in Jammu. The State Bank of India, which had 105 branches functioning in the valley before 1989, has only a dozen functional branches and its turnover has decreased by several hundred crores. Similarly, the Punjab National Bank has limited its operation, as about 200 of its employees have migrated to Jammu, However, some of its branches are working under security cover. The central silk board has also put down its shutters in the capital of Srinagar and all its activities have come to a halt in Kashmir, About 70 of its employees have shifted to Jammu and have been working from the winter capital of the state for the last two years.

The khadi village and the industries commission, which allocated loans for small units, has drastically reduced its financing operations in Kashmir, Against three crore allocation in 198889, it reduced the amount of Rs 70 lakh in the last fiscal year. This year department is proposing a further 20% cut as it almost shuts operation in Kashmir.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 3, 1992