Jammu, Sep 17: The Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Backward Classes has been rendered defunct for more than one and a half year now due to the state government’s failure to have the full quorum of Commission in place.
 Constituted under Jammu Kashmir State Commission for Backward Classes Act of 1997 the Commission should have five members including chairman and a government officer to act as Secretary.
 “For the last more than a year and half the commission is without three members and is working with chairman assisted by a secretary,” the sources said, adding that the Secretary of Commission Rita Parimoo is on leave for the past three months.
 As per the rules, the Commission recommends enlisting certain areas and down-trodden sections as backward to extend them concessions under a particular category besides to drop the areas from the Backward Areas list which have taken benefits under it for long and are now developed.
 With only two members, the commission has become defunct and is failing to clear even a single case for the past 18 months.
 The Commission is unable to take decisions in absence of the full quorum.
 Sources said the J&K Government is not making any effort to infuse life into the Commission despite calls for the same.
 The business rules of the Commission clearly mention that the state government would act on the recommendations of the Commission if a proposal is supported by two-third members.
 Pertinently the Business and Procedure Rule 16 of the Commission states: “In case all the members cannot participate in the meetings of the Commission, the quorum for it shall consist of three members, provided that it represents both the provinces, namely, the Kashmir Province and the Jammu Province.”
 Castigating the state government for its indifference towards the Commission, Member of Legislative Assembly Harshdev Singh said that he had raised the issue in Legislative Assembly several times but every time the government turned a deaf ear.
  “There are reports that the field staff of Commission has identified several areas to include in the list and the issue was raised by me in Assembly repeatedly. But the government seems to have shelved the interests of public and made the institution defunct,” he said.
 Chairman of the Commission Justice (Retd) A M Mir said that he had requested the government to appoint the commission members to maintain its quorum but no action has been taken as yet. He admitted that even normal functioning of the Commission gets hampered for want of the quorum.
 When contacted Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo said: “The process to fill the posts is on. We need some academicians and the persons who should have knowledge of backward areas also. The members would be appointed very soon.”

Lastupdate on : Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 17 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST