Srinagar: Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday set to rest concerns of any procedural change in Permanent Resident certificates in the state.
Responding to a letter by former chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah, Malik also urged the “senior political leader” not pay any heed to “frivolous and unfounded reports.”
The governor also clarified on all important fax machine of Raj Bhavan, saying that it was working while Omar was tweeting it want not.
“At the outset, I would like to mention that the government is not making or even considering any changes to the Act governing Permanent Resident certificates in the state. It is an integral part of the legal structure of Jammu & Kashmir and there is no attempt whatsoever to tamper with this law,” reads the Malik’s letter to Omar, released here to media by the state’s information department.
“As for the matter in the rest your letter, I would like to highlight that no changes in the procedural rules governing the issue of PR certificates will ever be done without larger consultations with all stakeholders. Consultations are essential so as to avoid any unnecessary apprehensions in the minds of anyone. To the best of my knowledge, nothing of the sort is being contemplated at the moment nor have any decisions been taken,” he says.
In view of the concerns expressed by Omar, the governor responded to him: “I will assure you that nothing will be done to modify the procedures for issuing PR certificates. I may like to point out here to you that seeking a PRC is one of the services under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act of 2011. As per this Act. a PRC by a genuine state subject ,applicant should be obtained within a period of 30 days from the date of application.”
It has been observed, he says, that many genuine applicants face avoidable difficulties in getting a PRC within these timelines. “There have also been complaints that the issuance of these certificates gets delayed due to a variety of procedural reasons. It is in this context of having a hassle free process for bona-fide applicants that I believe the Revenue Department has sought comments from few others. This is a routine administrative matter and unnecessary meanings should not be read into it,” he said, adding, “As senior political leader, I would request you not to pay heed to such frivolous and unfounded reports. In act. I fact, you have an obligation to dispel rather than promote unnecessary , mistrust among people and arc always welcome to discuss Issues with me which you have been doing once in a while. Incidentally my fax machine was working and your fax was received and confirmed by my office while you were tweeting that it was not functional.”
