This refers to the news that about Rs 70 lakh was paid by the Ministry of Home Affairs as remuneration and other expenses in engaging year-long services of three interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir. The expenses workout to around Rs 2 lakh per interlocutor per month. 
It is a huge expenditure on something which is yet to prove as a fruitful exercise. As per the news report, of total of Rs 69.80 lakh, Rs 52.36 lakh was paid as salary, about Rs 12.31 lakh was paid to their office assistants, Rs 2.31 lakh as air fare to visit the state and Rs 2.81 lakh as reimbursement expenditure for official transport during their services since their appointment on October 13, 2010. Over one year has passed since the interlocutors comprising journalist Dilip Padgaonkar, former Information Commissioner MM Ansari and educationist Prof Radha Kumar were appointed by the Government of India following the violent summer unrest in Kashmir valley in which around 120 civilians were killed. The Interlocutors were asked to suggest measures for the resolution of the problems in Jammu and Kashmir. But so far the public doesn’t know what they have done? What is the actual report? Have they mentioned anything with regard to the resolution of Kashmir issue? I wonder. So the GOI must explain as to why it has spent so much of money on something which seems to be a time-buying exercise?

Aatif Khan
Mallbagh Srinagar

Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST