Manoj Sinha at Idea Exchange: ‘Even Valley people have been martyred. Don’t look at killings on the basis of religion’

Deeptiman Tiwary: You have been entrusted with the job of determining the direction in which Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) should be headed after the abrogation of Article 370. What’s the ground situation now?

I think we have been able to build trust among the common people, who want development and progress. For a long time, J&K was run for a select few but now the government is working for the people. It lacked an administrative efficiency and a functional system. We have been able to bring in transparency and build trust in people outside Kashmir too. That’s evident from the number of tourists coming in.

Deeptiman Tiwary: The government is helping Kashmiri Pandits live in Kashmir by giving them jobs. But because of targetted killings by terrorists, they are being forced to move back to Jammu. Kashmiri Pandits say they are forced to choose between livelihood and life following your recent statement that those with jobs in Kashmir won’t receive salary if they don’t show up.

Targetted killings are unfortunate. But people of other religions have also lost their lives. Therefore, let’s not look at this through the prism of religion. The government had decided how to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits, by giving them 3,000 jobs and houses in each phase. When I arrived, the second phase was largely incomplete and there were leftover job vacancies from the first phase, largely because of technical reasons. Today, only 134 posts are left to be filled. Close to 1,700 of the promised 6,000 houses have been built. That delay was because the past elected government scheme for a one-room set had been ultimately given out as a two-room set. I paid for the misdeeds of someone else as there was no land to build other houses. The land has now been made available for remaining houses. Except for two works, the tenders for other projects have been resolved. Recently, I went to Baramullah and Bandipur. By April 2022, people were given 1,200 houses. Before December, we will give 1,800 more houses. We are trying to speed up work on a housing complex in Srinagar. The tenders for two other places, hopefully, will be done soon.

L-G of J&K Manoj Sinha (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

The anger after the May killings is justified. For the sake of security, we posted most Kashmiri Pandits in the district headquarters. Someone working in the rural development department will not be posted in the city but in a village near the district headquarter. Some have been relocated to tehsil headquarters which our police have declared secure. Kashmiri Pandits would sometimes face harassment in isolated areas. Therefore, we made sure that there are more than one man in every office, at least two to three. And they won’t just be Pandits but other minority communities. There’s a detailed security plan as part of which they are securing school areas. We made sure that those appointed in 2015 got promotion. We sent recommendations to the public service commission for those who wanted to migrate to gazetted posts from non-gazetted ones. Among these employees, a third are teachers. It’s strange that a Kashmiri local no longer lives in Kashmir. Those who are capable move to Delhi, Chandigarh or go overseas. Only people from the middle class and the lower-middle class live in Kashmir. Apart from the teachers, there’s a huge number of employees working in government offices.

Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly told Parliament that the delimitation process has been completed. The voters’ list was old and the review is mostly complete. Naturally, elections will be held in the near future

Deeptiman Tiwary: Do you have a number of the rehabilitated people who left Kashmir and went to Jammu after the incident in May?

There is no official record that a rehabilitated person has left Kashmir. There were some questions about people leaving for Jammu after the killing of Pandit Puran Bhat in Shopian district. But then most of them were residents of Jammu. During the apple season, they go to their farmlands. There are very few who don’t have a house here. The government and security agencies are ensuring that such serious incidents don’t happen again.

Deeptiman Tiwary: Apart from Kashmiri Pandits, migrant labourers too have been victims of these targetted killings.

Even the people of Kashmir Valley have been martyred. There have been a couple of incidents of labourers being killed.

Deeptiman Tiwary: Has that affected the labour force of Kashmir?

Most workers in the construction sector are from outside the Union Territory. During apple season, several workers from Bihar, Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh come to Kashmir. Now, as it is snowing in Kashmir, construction has stopped and, therefore, there are no labourers. There’s a narrative going around about “non-local” workers that’s wrong. Kashmir is a part of India, so people from anywhere in the country have the right to work here. There’s a huge population in Kashmir that believes that labourers should work and live here too. We have given insurance to brick kiln workers and provided security during the apple season.

The Press has full freedom. However, the govt will intervene if people are found indulging in ‘other’ activities. If it’s a question of threat to the nation’s unity, we will have to use the law. But if innocent, I will address their issue

Ritu Sarin: What initiatives are you taking to ensure a free Press? There are reports that some journalists have been arrested and threatened for attempting objective coverage.

I feel the Press has full freedom. There’s no threat to individual rights. However, the government will intervene if people are found indulging in ‘other’ activities. If the question of a threat to the nation’s unity arises, we will have to use the law. But if innocent, I will address their issue.

Shyamlal Yadav: After 1990, Pandits protested that several of their temples were destroyed. Has your government been able to identify and repair these?

Not just temples, we are also trying to revive churches, mosques and gurudwaras. Several temples have been restored. Last year, we built a church in Srinagar. I would urge people whose temples have been destroyed to work with the government.

Terrorist killings have reduced by more than 60 per cent. The backbone of terror has been broken. We will strictly deal with not just those who kill, but even those who run the ecosystem. Our policy is simple, don’t touch the innocent and don’t spare the guilty

Rakesh Sinha: How has your interaction with the National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) been?

These interactions are not meant to be shared with the Press. But usually, I meet people from all parties and discuss local and individual issues. I had called for a meeting before the Amarnath Yatra. Everyone, except PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, attended that meeting and promised to cooperate. There are several people with whom I talk on the phone.

Shubhajit Roy: You’re a politician and that makes a big difference to your role. Apart from connecting with other parties — the NC, PDP and Congress — how are you trying to further the political process in the Valley?

The political process is not limited to the election of the Vidhan Sabha. After a long time, the Panchayati Raj has been reinstated in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been a short while but the fund, function and resources given to Panchayat Raj representatives in J&K are probably higher compared to other states. There are around 3,000 elected representatives. I have seen three district capex budgets, which were made by elected representatives. The Budget for the first year (2020-21) was Rs 5,134 crore, for 2021-22, it was Rs 12,600 crore and for 2022-23, it was Rs 12,126 crore. The District Development Councils (DDCs) were given an additional Rs 20 crore and Block Development Councils (BDCs) got Rs 72 crore. Panchayats got Rs 1,000 crore.

On October 31, 2019, after the State Reorganisation Act came into effect, the seats in the Vidhan Sabha also increased. Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly said in Parliament that the delimitation process has been completed. The voters’ list was old and the review is mostly complete. Naturally, elections will be held in the near future and that will be decided by the Election Commission.

Aanchal Magazine: After May 2022, when five government employees were killed inside their office, Pandits have been protesting about their security. No work-no pay is fair logic from your side but by indirectly admitting that you already know the risk to Pandits, aren’t you normalising the killings as collateral damage?

I think you misunderstood what I said. The son of Krishna Dhaba’s owner was not a Kashmiri Pandit. Yes, there have been targetted killings and I have never said that Kashmiri Pandits should keep working in spite of these incidents. We are sincerely trying to ensure they are safe. But for years, many locals, including Kashmiri Pandits, go to Jammu or other parts of the country.

Aanchal Magazine: Every Minister gave a statement on the film The Kashmir Files and its director got Y-grade security. But when Pandits are attacked or killed, there is a conspicuous silence from the government and the BJP. Of the 6,000 approved houses you mentioned, only 1,025 houses have been built, which is not even half. People are managing rented accommodation in interior areas. What do you have to say to that?

I have told you about the 1,700 houses that have been built. By April 2023, 2,000 houses should be ready. Security has been beefed up for Pandits. It’s difficult anywhere in the world to provide security to everybody but there is security at their workplaces and for their children at school. It has not happened that someone was killed and I have not made a statement. I have personally visited several homes. On The Kashmir Files, I made a statement that everyone has a right to express their opinion on any subject. If anyone does not agree with the film, they can make another film.

L-G of J&K Manoj Sinha (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

P Vaidyanathan Iyer: In June 2021, the Prime Minister had said, “Dil aur Dilli ki duri nikaalni hai.” What’s the mechanism towards achieving this? There were several apprehensions about outsiders buying land in Kashmir. There were investments worth Rs 400-500 crore and MoUs according to the data placed in Parliament. What’s the progress?

Dilli aur dil ki doori kam ho gayi hai. Just ask the common man what he feels. To that extent, we have been successful in achieving the objective set by the PM. Roads and tunnel work worth Rs 1 lakh crore have been going on. Due to the challenges posed by topography, works are delayed but connectivity is increasing. Travel time between Jammu to Srinagar has shrunk from 10 to six hours. Several national highways and expressways are being built and the tunnel work at Zoji La is going on in full swing. By next year, Kashmir will be connected to Kanyakumari by rail. Air connectivity and frequency have improved. Close to 50,000 projects were completed in the last financial year. Third-year students are studying in Jammu’s AIIMS. Seven new medical facilities, cancer institutes, two Central universities, an IIT, IIM and NIFT have been planned. Ground-breaking ceremonies for industrial investment worth Rs 38,080 crore were done by the PM on June 24. More proposals will be actualised once infrastructure facilities like electricity and water are readied. JSW Steel will start work on its facility in six months. We will get more investments than our estimates of Rs 25,000 crore, giving rise to employment.

There is an enabling environment with reforms in land laws. Previously you needed the Revenue Minister’s approval to set up or clear an orchard. Now you can set up an orchard without anyone’s permission but need permission to cut it down. Land records have been streamlined and digitised, plantation rules have been eased and passbooks of 31 lakh land owners have been generated in three languages — Hindi, English and Urdu. Close to 22 lakh people have been given passbooks. Under the SVAMITVA Scheme, home owners get a unique identity number. Land lease renewal was discretionary. Now laws for commercial properties are in the public domain. For residential properties, we are framing a law similar to what applies to freehold properties in Delhi — a person staying at a place for over 50 years should get an advantage of getting a higher price. Not a single poor person will be affected.

Ritu Sarin: How are you tackling corruption considering your predecessor mentioned some controversies?

We are trying to achieve maximum transparency through technology to reduce the scope of corruption. Today the administration is functional on e-office. No project is eligible for e-tenders until it gets an administrative and financial approval. Until you upload real-time pictures of the project and its GI tag on the portal, the Treasury won’t take the bill. In my tenure, no huge aberration has come to light.

Harikishan Sharma: How many targetted killings happened till August 5, 2019 and what’s the count today?

Terrorist killings have reduced by more than 60 per cent. The backbone of terror has been broken. Today there are approximately 61 terrorists in the Valley. We will strictly deal with not just those who kill but even those who run the ecosystem. Our policy is simple, don’t touch the innocent and don’t spare the guilty. We’ve tried to ensure that no police or security force targets an innocent person. If a question mark is raised somewhere, action has been taken.

Deeptiman Tiwary: Also, there is the issue of drones and hybrid terrorists who live an ordinary life but upon an order, do a targetted killing. How are you managing this challenge?

Drones have been used for arms drops and we’ve been successful tracking them to a large extent. As terrorist numbers go down, divisive groups must recruit fast and are looking at part-time operators. Thanks to technology, we have a big data bank of such people. Now you won’t see young people posting pictures with AK-47s as they are tracked down and killed. They have shifted strategy and are into hybrid terrorism.

Shyamlal Yadav: You were a student politician yourself and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) would argue that each college should have its student body. Now no one asks for it. As a noted representative of the government and the ruling BJP, what should the government do?

I am not representing any party as I resigned from the BJP on August 6, 2020. The government is of the BJP. ABVP is not the student wing of any political party. But I believe universities should have democracy.

Deeptiman Tiwary: Kashmiri youths, who study in campuses across states, have been abused and demonised. They want to move back. What about their job opportunities in J&K?

If you look at government employment in J&K, percentage wise, it’s the highest in the country because private job opportunities are few. Jobs can be created through industry, agriculture and allied sectors. There are self-employment schemes, skill development and the Prime Minister’s Employment Guarantee Scheme. We have Mission Youth, where a young person from every panchayat gets a small commercial vehicle. We give Rs 80,000 incentive from the administration and the remaining Rs 5,000 or so from the PM Mudra scheme. We started Hausla, or Rise Together. We now give fellowships to IIT/IIM graduates for two years to ideate on sustainable livelihood projects in the tourism, smart city and culture projects. With the help of Tata Technology, we’ve started two centres in Baramulla and Jammu. I am deeply aware of discrimination against Kashmiri students elsewhere. But people everywhere are breaking this mental barrier slowly. Recently, I met a boy from Uri who had completed engineering from a private college in Gujarat and was happy working there.

WHY MANOJ SINHA

A seasoned politician, Manoj Sinha was sent as the Lt Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. Given his negotiation skills across the table, he was entrusted with the task of pursuing the Modi Government’s promised development, economic revival and civil engagement in the Valley and its integration with the mainstream. Believed to be experienced enough to fill up the political vacuum in the Valley, he has a challenging task of winning the trust of locals, reviving the economy, holding elections and more importantly, earning the faith of Kashmiri Pandits and ensure they return.