Jammu: Former Director Information J&K Kanhaya Lal Dhar passed away at Mumbai this morning after a brief illness.
He was cremated at Mumbai this afternoon. He was 84. He is survived by his wife Dulari Dhar and two daughters Aarti and Monica Dhar.
Coming from a humble background, Dhar started his career in the Information Department and rose to Director Information.
He was inducted in IAS and manned many important assignments including Director Social Welfare, and Director IMPA.
After retirement, he had served as Special Assistant to Prof Saifuddin Soz during his tenure as Union Minister for Water Resources and made many friends in the central bureaucracy.
Very popular among politicians and journalists, he was known for his wisdom, intelligence and wit. He was a keen political watcher and had interest in developments in Kashmir and Pakistan. An amazing conversationalist, Dhar made friends very easily and was loved and adored by everyone around him. He was a very religious person.
News of his death was received by journalists in J&K with shock and disbelief as many of the senior journalists and former officers of the Information Departments were in regular contact with him and used to analyse political developments taking place in the country and Jammu & Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Director Information and Public Relations, Akshay Labroo has condoled the sad demise of K L Dhar.
In his condolence message, the Director said that KL Dhar was an astute administrator who contributed widely in different spheres of his life as well as during his tenure as Director Information.
The Director also expressed his deepest condolences with the bereaved family and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
Meanwhile, the employees of DIPR also condoled the sad demise of former Director Information. The officers and employees offered their deepest condolences with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and courage for the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.
The group of retired officials of the Information Department held a condolence meeting at Jammu and conveyed heartfelt condolences to his wife Dulari Dhar.
Former Director Information K B Jandial, who had served with him for a long time in the Information Department and one of Dhar’s close friends said that he got the sad news from his eldest daughter Aarti with total disbelief.
“His death is a personal loss to him. The Information veterans passed a condolence resolution on his demise and prayed for his eternal peace to the departed noble soul and grant of strength to the family to bear this irreparable loss,” Jandial said in a press statement.