Ex PSC Chairman, S. L. Bhat a non-migrant KP asked to produce migrant card for domicile certificate

Srinagar: A top retired local bureaucrat of Kashmiri origin S L Bhat who held the position of Chairman J&K Public Service Commission (J&K PSC) and did not migrate from his Srinagar residence to Jammu or anywhere else in the country after 1989 has been surprisingly asked to produced migrant card for issuance of domicile certificate.
Talking exclusively to Kashmir Horizon the former J&K Public Service Commission Chairman S L Bhat said “unfortunately migrant and non migrant status has almost become a new point of identification for the people of Kashmir irrespective of caste, creede and colour. Simply the permanent residents of Jammu & Kashmir holding Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs) under the erstwhile state subject law should be exempted from domicile certificates as the certificate have been issued after thorough scrutiny of the revenue records and electoral rolls besides physical verifications. To substantiate his claim of being a non migrant resident of Srinagar city, the former Public Service Commission Chairman has produced before the concerned authorities his own permanent residence certificate, latest election card, latest renewed driving license, aadhar card, a copy of the revenue extract and latest LIC policy, the copies of which are also in possession of Kashmir Horizon. ”. Disclosing that he is pursuing the matter with Relief Commissioner Jammu the former J&K PSC Chairman exude confidence that the issue would be sorted out in a couple of days.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Hanief Balkhi when contacted told Kashmir Horizon “ we have asked tehsildars to thoroughly scrutinize the relevant documents of all the applicants and ensure fulfillment of all codel formalities by one and all irrespective of the caste, creede, colour, rank, position and status. I have talked to concerned tehsildar and asked him to take a call after fulfillment of all codel formalities”.
Presently residing in the Indra Nagar area of Srinagar city, the former Chairman J&K PSC S L Bhat has also seen the devastating floods of 2014 when he was holding the position of Chairman J&K Public Service Commission. Bhat has held the senior positions of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Principal Secretary General Administration Department and Financial Commissioner Planning & Development before his appointment as Chairman J&K Public Service Commission. Interestingly the Jammu & Kashmir Government recently issued domicile certificate to a serving J&K cadre senior IAS Officer of Bihar Naveen Kumar Chowdhry and the concerned authority placed domicile certificate on his table but ironically a top retired local bureaucrat of Kashmiri origin whose integrity has always remained above board is being overtly and covertly denied the domicile certificate otherwise issued randomly to non J&K residents including Gorkhas, West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) and Valmikis’. Significantly Naveen Chowdhry was taunted on social media by a top non local retired bureaucrat Amit Kushari who despite serving for 37 years in Jammu & Kashmir expressed his wish to live in Kashmir as a guest but as a permanent settler as a mark of respect to Kashmir’s cultural ethos. So the incumbent non local serving bureaucrats get domiciles with ease but on the contrary local bureaucrats despite being the permanent residents of Jammu & Kashmir are asked to offer replies and explanations to complex queries for a domicile certificate now declared mandatory even for the permanent residents of Jammu & Kashmir.