Illegal construction by ex-Cong Minister near Wave Mall Jammu
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The price for being a whistleblower in Jammu and Kashmir can be so devastating is quite incomprehensible.
By exposing the ‘illegal building construction and possession of state lands’ in the Jammu suburbs, an RTI Activist has virtually landed himself in real trouble-courtesy the agencies he approached for course correction. Instead of putting their act together to stop the illegal construction by senior Congress leader and former minister Abdul Majid Wani, the agencies leaked the complaint and the complainant Mohammad Sadiq Poswal, placing themselves behind the offender. If this is not a fit case for a thorough and fair probe then what is ?
Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is currently under the direct rule of Lieutenant Governor. There is no place for political interference therefore. This being the position, the question arises who unfolded the identity of the complainant thus putting his security in jeopardy. No sooner the complaint was lodged, the complainant got threatening calls from the alleged offender. The ramifications of the leak can be manifold and who will be responsible if anything happens to the whistleblower? This is a cause of concern for all those who crave propriety in public life.
Is the politico-administrative nexus so deep in the Union Territory that the agencies that are required to take cognizance of wrong doings feel obliged to report to their political masters? This is a pointer for the Lieutenant Governor to take note of. If the issue is let go, no whistleblower or common citizen can dare to lodge complaints and there will be total anarchy in the system.
The re-evaluations made by the RTI Activist call for a thorough probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which has bonafide jurisdiction in the Union Territory. The black sheep in the Jammu Development Authority, Jammu Municipal Corporation and more importantly the police organisation are needed to be identified and booked for action under law. Who knows the nexus may turn out to be deep-rooted with top officials in the concerned agency directly involved with the menace.
Jammu and Kashmir has been ‘free for all’ due to disturbed conditions and the appeasement policy by the successive governments locally as also at the Centre, which has manifested in large scale encroachments, land grabs, illegal constructions by ignoring building norms. These ‘irregular practices’ have dangerous repercussions not only on the state assets but also the demography of the temple city.
The latest exposure by an RTI activist is a test case for the gubernatorial administration to act-and to act fast lest the Union Territory will witness anarchy at large with land grabbers, encroachers and wrong doers enjoying field days. And, if anyone will feel to be pushed to wall, it will be the whistleblowers who risk their lives in exposing the offenders.
Whistleblowers are the conscious-keepers of the society and they do something that everybody else in that system doesn’t do. Therefore, they should be protected and encouraged to expose the mess created by unscrupulous elements, generally influential ones, in the society.
By exposing the former Congress minister, the whistleblower from Doda is at the receiving end. How can he find himself to be safe when the agencies he reposed his trust have betrayed him by exposing his identity to the alleged offender. Despite the matter going public, there has been no word either from the JMC or the JDA, least to speak of the police. The apprehensions of the complainant post threat by the former minister are also not being addressed by the law enforcing agencies. In such a situation where will the whistleblower go?
By ignoring the threats to the RTI Activist, the police is sending a wrong message to the citizens that accountability has no meaning in Jammu and Kashmir.