Srinagar, March 1, CNS: The Backward Classes Commission is headless from last three years after the retirement of its chairman Justice Ali Muhammad Mir. The delay by the Government to appoint the new chairman to this important Commission for over three years now has deprived a large number of villages in remote and far-flung areas of the State who had applied for grant of backward status to their areas to seek justice, aggrieved citizens of the State told CNS.
They said that their files are pending as they can’t be disposed of by the Commission neither the Government is in a position to forward them to the Commission which is a headless body now.
Highlighting the section 11 (1) of J&K state commission for Backward Classes Act , 1997 in the legislative assembly on 30th June 2016 , Minister for Social Welfare Sajad Gani Lone had emphasized that the genuine demands for declaring backward classes in the state will be looked into on priority, but nothing was done.
As per the guidelines for the appointment of a chairperson for Backward Commission, the state’s governor has the powers to appoint such a person in consultation with State Government but nothing is being done to mitigate the sufferings of the people living in backward areas. Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Backward Classes was established under the J&K state Commission for Backward Classes Act 1997. (