Adjustment of Migrants: A Pioneering Effort

 

        Adjustment of Migrants: A Pioneering Effort

The Postal Department was the first to relocate part of the Circle Office to Jammu. Other Central Government Offices followed suit. The story of how it was done is told hereunder. K Diesh was replaced by N D Dayal as PMG. I was inspecting the Divisional Office, Jammu, when I received a telephone call from the then Secretary, Kailash Prakash. I requested that he speak with the PMG, who was incidentally sitting next to me. He used a few bad words and said, “ No, I want to talk to you only.” In fact, he did not like Dayal and considered him to be part of the Diesh lobby, which was working against him. He said to me, “Deepak, my son Amit Prakash is working for the Illustrated Weekly of India, and he has been asked to write a story on the situation in the Kashmir Valley. He will fly to Srinagar after three days. Please receive him. His mother has been crying ever since she heard it.”

I replied, “Sir, you don’t worry, I will hand him over to some guys known to the militants, and they will escort him wherever he wants to go.”

“Deepak, I hope you know what you are talking about.”

I realised that I should not have said what I said. But now that words had been uttered, I had to stand by them. I assured him that the guys I referred to are from the department and they have cordial terms with the people on the other side.”

“Okay, do what you think is proper. I want my son to be safe.”

I flew back to Srinagar, and Amit Prakash arrived on the specified day. Two postal officials were assigned the job of escorting him, and they carried him places in the downtown. In the evening, he returned, had some drinks and a sumptuous dinner. The next day, he was sent back by Indian Airlines to Delhi. As soon as I received the message of the aeroplane leaving Srinagar Airport, I called the Secretary and informed him, “Sir, your son has safely departed by air to Delhi, please let me know when he reaches.” 

After about two hours, Kailash Prakash rang me up and said, “Deepak, Amit’s mother and I are highly grateful to you. She is happy to see her son back. Amit was all praise for your hospitality.”

“Sir, these are small things in life. I wish him a bright future.”

“Deepak, can I be of any help to you?”

I paused for a moment. Remembered a story of Shri Bhat, who had cured Sultan Zainul Abedin Budshah, and was asked the same thing by the Sultan. Shri Bhat, in turn, requested him to resettle Kashmiri Pandits and allow those who were forcibly converted to return to the Pandit fold.” The Sultan granted his wish and issued the necessary orders. Taking a cue from that story, I requested the Secretary, “Sir, there is nothing I want for my person. But, Sir, if you can help my community, please do so. Sir, a large number of staff of the Circle offices have migrated to Jammu. We could open a part of the CO at Jammu and let them work there. Incidentally, out of nine divisions (Postal and logistical), only two are directly affected by militancy. The closure of CO has affected all the divisions. If a part of CO functions at Jammu, the work of all subordinate divisions can be streamlined. PMG can be posted in Jammu while I shall look after the residual office in Srinagar.”

He immediately grasped my viewpoint and told me, “Okay. Tomorrow morning, I shall meet the Minister, and by 10:30 AM, you will receive your orders. The next day, at exactly 10:30 AM, the P.S. to the Secretary rang me and read out the order, which was almost a one-liner saying, “Shri Deepak Kumar Budki, DPS, J&K Circle will hereafter work from Jammu as his headquarters.” I showed it to the PMG, who had returned to Srinagar. He ordered me to prepare a plan for the distribution of work between the Jammu and Srinagar wings, which was done smoothly during the night. The orders were issued, and the migrant staff in Jammu were asked to join the office immediately. I also flew to Jammu and tried to hire a building, but the quoted rent was beyond the financial powers of the PMG. Getting approval from the Directorate would mean a delay of at least 2-3 months. So I zeroed in on the RMS Office housed in a departmental building at the Jammu Railway Station, which had some spare space. I called all the staff to be deployed there and told them that due to paucity of space, they should not expect facilities as were available in Srinagar. Even the size of their tables was drastically reduced. All records of concerned branches were transferred gradually, utilising the services of the mail bus plying between Srinagar and Jammu. The most important branch of CO, which was shifted and proved very fruitful, was the PLI section. After establishing it in Jammu, the work of PLI increased multifold, and so did the efficiency. 

The arrangement worked well. The only question that remained was how to adjust the remaining migrant Officials from the operative offices. I discussed the matter with the PMG and called for the Options from such officials. Orders were issued to attach them to the POs near their present places of residence, but the salaries were to be drawn from the parent offices only. It was made clear that the migrant officials will not be considered transferred to the offices where they are attached and will work in a subordinate capacity, even if they are senior to the Postmaster in the SO attached to. These orders were made transparent in order there are no complaints from the local unions against them. The system came on rails slowly. This arrangement was emulated by the Telecom department, as also other Central Government departments. 

Another pressing problem that we faced was staffing post offices in the Kashmir Valley so that they do not suffer due to a shortage of manpower. A scheme was launched to send migrant staff back to the Offices periodically, where security cover was available, viz. GPO Srinagar, Anantnag HO, and Baramullah HO. Since many incentives had been announced by the Central Government in regard to staff working in the valley, many Postal migrants volunteered to go back to work in these post offices. Batches of such officials were sent by special buses escorted by security forces from Jammu to Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla. Initially, the batches were exchanged every three months, but later, it was noticed that migrant officials were reluctant to come back to Jammu or Udhampur and preferred to stay in the valley. The periodicity of sending batches of staff to the valley was accordingly increased. 

By and by, the conditions in the valley improved. Tourists started arriving, and the migrant staff started moving out of the secure premises, which had been prohibited earlier. My relations with N D Dayal remained cordial throughout. Though I was working in Jammu now, both of us remained in touch with each other regarding sensitive matters. However, the incident of Kailash Prakash did create some doubt in his mind. Fortunately, my constant reminders to the Directorate ensured two direct officers, V Pati and P S Negi, were posted, who really shouldered the work well. I, on my part, recommended some subordinated staff for the Meghdoot award, which was further sent by the PMG to the Directorate, and a few officers received it. Some were awarded at the Circle level by the PMG with Dak Sewa Awards. However, surprisingly, no PMG ever thought me worthy of such an award despite my facing the situation single-handedly for so long. Anyway, I did my duty to the best of my capability and have no regrets. ….(To be continued)  

 

Paralysis of Administration in the Valley

 

            Paralysis of Administration in the Valley

With the increase in the intensity of militancy in the valley since January 1990, things got out of control for the State  Administration. Postal Services and Banks were closed, there was no attendance in Central and State Government Offices, public transport was disrupted, and food supplies were received from outside the state by the local food and supplies department, control of which had been seized by the extremist elements who distributed it further as per their will. Some meetings were called for, but with no result. In one of the meetings at the beginning of the extremism, I remember that I accompanied the then PMG, Ved Kumar, who was a short, puny gentleman. While he was dressed in a formal suit, I, a six-footer, had put on a beige coloured safari suit. The guard at the entrance stopped me, saying, “Security men are not allowed into the hall.” Ved Kumar looked back and told them, “Bhai, he is our Director.” And that is how I got in with a wry smile on my face. 

It was unfortunate that many Officers were killed during the period, prominent among them were Musheer-ul-Haq, an Islamic Scholar and VC of Kashmir University, H L Khera, General Manager of HMT, Lassa Kaul, Director of Doordarshan and other Officers from the State Government. I recollect that only about a month earlier, Lassa Kaul, who was then Director, Radio Kashmir, a Director from the Staff Selection Commission and I had conducted an interview in the AIR, Kashmir premises. During the interview, a bomb was hurled at the gate of the AIR. I suspect the killing of Lassa Koul must have been an insider's job who must have informed the militants about his movements. He was a thorough gentleman, handsome and soft-spoken. With a military background, I anticipated the moves of the enemy, and therefore, restricted my movements, and as described earlier, shifted my entire office to the GPO complex. 

One by one, the post offices were targeted by the terrorists, either burnt or looted or threatened. Most of them were closed, though some of them were shifted to secure Head Offices. I approached the IG police, a Muslim gentleman, who, while discussing, objected to my saying Anantnag and said that it is Islamabad. Besides, he told me that the Department of Posts will have to bear the cost of the security personnel provided. He asked me to write down my requirements so that he could order the recruitment of further policemen and get them trained before posting them as per my requirements. I could gauge his attitude and slowly eased myself out, never to show him my face again.

Surprisingly, a lady officer, Indu Gupta, was posted as Director, Vigilance in Srinagar. It simply showed the apathy of the Directorate towards the conditions prevailing in Kashmir. I had been holding the charge of both Director (HQ) and Director Vigilance jointly till she reported. Now I had to look after her also. She did not know the environment, and in my absence, she rushed to Sathu, Barbarshah S O, which was ransacked by the militants. As I came to know about this on my arrival in the office, I immediately sent a vehicle and called her back. I explained to her the situation and advised her not to venture out of her office in any case. Slowly, she got scared seeing the situation for herself. She was living alone in the IQ, and one evening she had nothing to eat as markets were closed and she had not stored anything. So she came to our quarter, talked to my wife, who assured her not to worry till we are here. She had her dinner with us. They became good friends thereafter. Over a period of time, she managed her transfer out of the Circle.

I also received an order to attend a training course in IIPA, New Delhi during the said period, which further showed that the Directorate did not know about the ground reality in the Circle. There was no PMG, and I was alone at that time. I could have eased myself after handing over charge locally to some senior officer, but I preferred not to. On the contrary, I wrote to the DDG concerned, firstly, to cancel my orders, and secondly, not to send any Officer or staff member for training till the situation improves. 

However, I did feel concerned about my family and the education of my children. A few times, the processions returning from the UN Office stopped at Sheri Kashmir Park in front of GPO, and started throwing stones at the building inside the park. They ransacked it as well. It was a crowd of roughly a lakh of people. I thought to myself that if this crowd attacks the GPO, what will a small group of CRPF men do? How many rounds of fire can they fire to control the mob? The very thought sent shivers down my spine. I instantly resolved to send my family out of the valley. I told my wife to go to Shimla and try to get admission for the children in some reputed school there, and if possible, also seek employment there as a teacher. She showed reluctance by saying, “How can I leave you alone. I had to explain to her that this step was taken at least to save the lives of the children and not to hamper their education. She agreed and went to Shimla, but returned to Jammu, saying that only one school agreed but offered me a job as a warden, which I refused. Fortunately, by then, Burn Hall School, Srinagar, had opened a branch in Jammu titled St Peter’s Higher Secondary School and all children from the erstwhile Burn Hall School were admitted there. My wife also got a job there. 

The situation under Governor Jagmohan changed gradually. Things were slowly brought to near-normal, though the migration of Kashmiri Pandits could not be reversed. They are still languishing in Jammu and other places in the country, hoping that a day will come when they will be back in their homeland. One good thing that happened was that the Governor posted a Relief Commissioner, who distributed relief to the migrant Kashmiri Pandits who were not employed. In addition, tents, blankets and warm clothing were also distributed initially, and food items and milk were supplied thereafter. This was a great step for the rehabilitation of the migrants who were either accommodated in vacant schools and other office buildings or in camps at specified places in Jammu, Nagrota and Udhampur. In fact, the Kashmiri Pandits regard Jagmohan as a messiah for the work he did for their resettlement outside the Kashmir valley. (to be continued)

The Cup that Never Finished

 

                The Cup that Never Finished

Once K Diesh was settled in the Inspection Quarters (IQ), I started attending to my routine work. When Ved Kumar was in charge of the Circle, the Circle Office was located in a hired building belonging to the Auqaf at the foothills of Shankaracharya. Gradually, the situation started changing. Huge processions were seen on the streets carrying flags of different organisations and chanting slogans against India and in favour of freedom. Most of them passed by the side of our Office. In the meantime, a series of abductions and killings of many Central Government Officers were reported, which prompted me to stop going to the office. I organised the shifting of the office records to the GPO and reopened the office in the GPO premises. 

Another major development had taken place in the valley. On the intervening night of 19 and 20 January 1990, there was a massive uprising organised by the extremists on instructions from across the border. You could hear slogans on the loudspeakers of the mosques, which, besides seeking freedom, also threatened Kashmiri Pandits. Kashmiri Pandits were also dragged out of their homes to head the processions to provide human shields to the armed processions. This made them nervous, and almost instantly, they decided to leave the valley, abandoning their houses and material possessions. Our staff also left without seeking permission and took shelter in Jammu. Administrative Offices and Operative Offices, i.e. the Post Offices, wore a deserted look. 

The State Government imposed a curfew in the valley continuously for several months. Nobody was allowed to move, though some processions defied the curfew orders in the peripheral areas. During that period, I managed the office alone and had to issue transfer orders without any staff from the Circle Office (C.O.). No files were moved. I had recorded the names and current postings of all the staff whose postings were handled by the C.O. Some staff members took advantage of the situation, while others suffered due to the abnormal circumstances. However, things remained under control.  

Shockingly, the takeover by K Diesh as the Circle Head was more of a liability than an asset. I virtually shouldered all the responsibility myself. He had a penchant for flitting between Srinagar and Delhi, where his family resided. Meanwhile, in Kashmir, the postal operations had come to a halt, yet he would send false reports to the Directorate and inform them that the services were normal. A copy was also sent unauthorisedly to a fellow in the PMO named George, who was very close to the PM and was known to him. The ground reality was that only our mail vehicle used to ply between Srinagar Airport and GPO, and the suburban mail accumulated in the RMS and the GPO. However, during the hours the curfew was relaxed, some banking transactions were permitted to be carried out to mitigate the sufferings of the general public. Since many of our Town Sub-Offices had been closed for security reasons, some of them were restarted functioning as single counters in Offices like GPO Srinagar, HPO Anantnag, HPO Baramulla and SO Pulwama, where adequate security was available. 

Diesh was short in stature, agile and persuasive. He used to relate tales of his bravery when we sat together in the verandah of the IQ, as there was nothing much to do. During such casual conversation, he once remarked that Ved Kumar, his predecessor, was a timid clerk and not an officer at all. I could not bear it because I had learnt a lot from Ved Kumar when he was my boss. Anyway, I chose to remain silent and did not respond. He insisted I give my opinion. In a lighter mood, I said, “Sir, I cannot afford to deny what you said because I believe we bureaucrats are like prostitutes who are forced to say yes to the customer’s mannerisms till such time they foot the bill. Later, he is shown the door with disdain on their faces. Similarly, we bureaucrats agree with whatever our bosses say until they write our annual confidential report. And once it has been written, we can afford to speak the truth thereafter. He was tipsy, so he laughed and said, “Deepak, you are naughty.” He was a person who loved alcohol. I was not aware of this aspect of his personality. One day, I observed that while sitting and talking, he had a cup in front of him, apparently filled with tea. He called out to the caretaker and ordered tea for me as well. Periodically, he would get up and take his cup into his room and refill it. I thought over it and ultimately found that he would fill it with liquor in his room, though for strangers it looked as if it were tea. The cup remained on his table during office hours and was never finished. 

He decided to call on the Governor, Jagmohan, along with the Chief General Manager, Telecommunications. I beseeched him not to take the CGMT along with him, as we would get overshadowed by his presence but he did not listen. An appointment was granted. It so happened that the Governor complained about his personal telephones which often went dead, besides many other complaints from the public regarding telephone services. At the close, he asked us if we had a brief about our departmental problems which he needs to look into. I had fortunately prepared one and handed it over to Ved Marwah, the Governor’s Adviser. With that, we left the office. Back in GPO, some union members were standing there by chance. The Union Leader greeted the PMG, who reciprocated. Then he started bragging about his visit to the Governor. He told them that he apprised the Governor of how our postal staff are facing the situation bravely. He said, “I told him if bullets come our way, I will be the first person to take them on my chest.” Then he asked me to confirm what he said. I had no option but to affirm it with a smile on my face.

One day, when the GPO was open during the curfew relaxation hours, he saw a destitute woman begging in front of the rear gate on the bund side. He quickly rushed down, taking me along with him. He talked to the beggar woman and asked her in Hindi, “How much do you earn per day?” She replied, ‘By the grace of Allah, about ten rupees.” He took out a twenty-rupee note, gave it to her, and told her to go away. But she would not budge an inch. So he got annoyed and asked the CRPF jawan on duty to ensure she does not sit there in future. On our return to the IQ, he said to me, “Deepak, you don’t know. She is an ISI agent and works for the enemy country.” I simply kept quiet and did not reply. On another day, he saw two stout Iranian youth moving around in the GPO complex. He approached them and said in a loud voice, “What are you doing here, you terrorists?” They had come to collect their poste restante mail from the GPO, so it annoyed them and they were ready to fight. Before they could react, I called out a few staff members of RMS and asked them to take them away and give them their mail, if there was any. Things would have worsened but for my timely intervention. On another occasion, he called me from my residence late at night and took me to the RMS office. He started checking some mailbags and ordered the staff standing there to open them and show their contents. He suspected that the bags contained Charas (Drug), which was going out of the valley in connivance with the post office staff. The RMS staff was reluctant to obey as they had not closed the bags, but were only transit offices. Anyway, I convinced them that you may open and write in the error book the reasons for opening such bags while the PMG and DPS were present. 

One day, we were sitting in the verandah enjoying different teas, and an aeroplane flew by. He stood up and told me that he was informed by IGP (Security) that the terrorists had planted a bomb in its tail and it would be blown off at any time. I again did not answer and simply kept quiet. But I was wondering which IGP would be foolish enough to tell him, even if he were his friend and supposing the story was true, would the IGP let the aeroplane fly? Would he not stop it and get it evacuated? I had to bear his idiosyncrasies for so long he stayed as PMG J&K. Fortunately, he managed his transfer out of the Circle after a few months. He made one of his close friends in the Postal Service a scapegoat as the latter agreed to be posted as PMG J&K. (to be continued)

Facing Militancy in Kashmir-II

 

                Facing Militancy in Kashmir-II

In such turbulent times, I expected the PMG to return in a week or so, but he did not. Instead, he managed his transfer out of J&K Circle. It was winter months, fuel and thick curtains were to be provided to all post offices, besides supplying the postmen with warm clothing. Even transfers to the Ladakh Division had not been finalised. I had no time to lose. Tenders were called, and I had to reject defaulters one after the other in short periods. I received a threat to my life from one of the tenderers. On checking his bona fides, it came to be known that he was an insider from the sister Telecom department and the telephone given in the tender was an official number. I warned him of the consequences and eliminated him once and for all. Subsequently, the tenders were finalised hurriedly, and hard coke and wood were supplied to all the post offices. 

Meanwhile, a bomb blast took place in the S R Gunj P O located in a newly constructed departmental building. Some portion of the upper story was affected. I sent the report to the Directorate. I was directed to get it repaired immediately which was impossible. The concerned DDG pestered me, so I was forced to write a demi-official letter to the Secretary directly informing him about the ground reality in Kashmir, which, seemingly, he was unaware of. In Kashmir, repeated attacks were continued on the Central Government institutions, especially on post offices and banks. The banking as well as postal system got paralysed. Rumours were afloat that all these institutions were going to run away from Kashmir, and the public money was going to be swindled. Hence, all money should be transferred to J&K Bank. Curfews were imposed by the State Government and the terror outfits alternatively, resulting in a complete breakdown of the administrative and financial system. 

After some time, I received the transfer order of the PMG from the Directorate with further instructions to assume his duties without any additional remuneration. I refused to comply and shot out a letter to the concerned DDG that I shall only shoulder the additional responsibility provided I am paid honorarium for it. My letter created a great commotion in the Directorate since such a response was unknown in the bureaucratic setup. The Secretary, Posts, held a meeting of Senior Officers to discuss the situation in Kashmir. No one was willing to work in such times in the Circle. However, K Deish, a senior officer, who had earlier worked as PMG in the Circle, volunteered to look after the charge of PMG, J&K, in addition to his own as DDG, Establishment. This was approved. I received a phone call from him with instructions to come to Jammu to receive him. It was very difficult to move around that too unescorted. The State Government had been very choosy in providing security guards to the Officers posted in Kashmir. Somehow, I managed to reach Jammu along with R K Ganjoo, ASP Vigilance. K Deish called us and PA to SSP JT and instructed him to take down his dictation, which in short meant to decentralise all the powers of the PMG to the Director, including the financial and disciplinary powers which was a surprise to me. I objected by saying, “Sir, I hope you know why you are here? You are here because I refused to do any additional duty without extra remuneration. What are you aiming at, Sir, the same thing in a different manner? Sir, I shall do my duty only and your files will be stacked on your table in Srinagar.”

“Deepak, what are you saying. I believe in grooming young officers to shoulder higher jobs efficiently. Your predecessor used to do it.”

“Sir, I am aware of it. My predecessor may have some personal interest in doing so. I have none. I came here with a suitcase and two steel trunks of baggage and shall go with the same. You are free to check with me on that day. Incidentally, I was told that you had hardly signed four to five files during your entire tenure.”

“Who told you that?”

“Sir, the whole Circle Office was saying.”

“OK. Do you have any files to sign right now?”

“Yes Sir.”

I told my Inspector Vigilance to produce all five files before him, four of which he signed instantly while standing. Suddenly, he realised he may be taken for granted, so he raised some objections in one file to stamp his authority. Surprisingly, the said file had a nil report to be sent to the Directorate. 

He asked for his move to Srinagar as soon as possible. Air Tickets were arranged, and the next day we flew to Srinagar. I had asked our office in Srinagar to arrange to send the PMG’s vehicle to the airport at the right time. But due to some miscommunication, the vehicle had not arrived. It was already 2 pm. The Airport would be closed after some time. There were no mobiles, and being a Sunday, the Airport Post Office was closed. I was at a loss to know how to react given the situation prevailing at the time. I called for a taxi to drop us at the GPO Srinagar. Payment was negotiated, and K Diesh, A N Raina, SSRM JT and R K Ganjoo ASP Vigilance took their respective seats in the ambassador. K Diesh sat between ASP Vig and me in the back seat. … to be continued.

Ek Khat Jo Post Na Ho Saka; ایک خط جو پوسٹ نہ ہو سکا;Urdu Short Story; اردو افسانہ

 Ek Khat Jo Post Na Ho Saka; ایک خط جو پوسٹ نہ ہو سکا 

Urdu Short Story; اردو افسانہ 

Dak Khane Ki Mulazmat;डाक खाने की नौकरी; ڈاک خانے کی ملازمت ; Ministory;लघु कहानी;افسانچہ

Dak Khane Ki Mulazmat;डाक खाने की नौकरी

ڈاک خانے کی ملازمت 

Ministory;लघु कहानी;افسانچہ 

डाक खाने की नौकरी 

मई का महीना था।  मैं ऑफिस में बैठा मातहत कर्मचारियों का वार्षिक गोपनीय रिपोर्ट लिख रहा था। 

एक मेहनती और सत्यवादी पोस्टमॉस्टर ने आत्म मूल्यांकन के कॉलम में अपने कामकाज के बारे में यूँ  लिखा था :

"सताईस साल पहले मैंने पोस्टग्रैजुएशन करने के बाद डाक खाने में नौकरी शुरू की थी और आज तक ईमानदारी से काम कर रहा हूँ।  मेरे सहपाठी, जो राजस्व, एक्साइज और इनकम टैक्स विभागों में मुलाज़िम हो गए, आज लाखों के मालिक हैं जबकि मैं यहाँ इस ठिठुरती सर्दी में हर रोज़ रात के आठ नौ बजे तक  केरोसीन लैम्प की रौशनी में आमदनी और खर्चा मिलाने की कोशिश करता हूँ क्यूंकि हिसाब में सावधानी के बावजूद कहीं न कहीं कुछ पैसों का फ़र्क़ रह ही जाता है।"

मेरी  क़लम रुक गयी।  मुझे समझ  नहीं आ रहा  था की अब मैं उसके बारे   में  लिखूं!