Early Times Report
Srinagar, Feb 17: As the conflict completed twenty-six years last month, the number of VIPs has also registered an increase.
Senior journalist Zahir-ud-Din believes a person who contests municipal elections even unsuccessfully becomes a VIP overnight.
According to Din, the VIP so created is entitled to two PSOs, a vehicle from the security wing of the home department and accommodation in a hotel.
He further said that these `parasites' at times act as pimps for the politicians and bureaucrats. "They also extort money from the gullible people on the promise of providing a government job. Some of them are involved in serious criminal cases," he said.
Official data reveals that there were 1472 protected persons in Jammu Kashmir and the state government spends a whopping 516.40 Cr on their security.
The data further reveals that 708 vehicles have been provided by the Security Wing as a part of security cover to 481 protected person.
According to the data, the Security Wing provides secured hotel accommodation to the political activists and as on date, 440 political activists including 294 uncategorized political activists have been provided secured hotel accommodation.
The expenditure incurred on such VIPs is whopping.
The data says during the last 5 years, the Home Department stated an amount of 958.67 had been spent as expenditure borne by the Estates Department on accommodation including Ministerial Bunglows which include Rs. 137.02 lacs (2010-11), 232.72 lacs (2011-2012), 190.97 lacs (2012-2013), 215.64 lacs (2013-2014) & 182.32 lacs (2014-2015).
Srinagar District with 207 protected persons tops in the list of number of protected persons, followed by Jammu District with 191,Doda 173, Baramulla 98, Kupwara 82, Anantnag 114, Samba District of Jammu Province list at the bottom with 13 protected persons followed by Leh District with 15 and Kargil 16 protected persons. This is too much.
The protected persons, by and large are parasites on the state exchequer, said Zahir. "A cash starved state like Jammu Kashmir cannot afford such misadventures. The government cannot do democracy a favour by grooming unscrupulous elements,' he said. |
