SRO 520: Irked by exclusion, donors close water supply from their lands

SRINAGAR: Even as the dry spell has created water shortage in Kashmir, closure of water supply schemes by land donors in Valley in protest of government's non-commitment to amend the SRO 520 for regularisation of hundreds like them, has further aggravated the crisis in the region.
A number of land donors in the Valley have closed down the Water Supply Schemes constructed on their propriety land donated by them in lieu of jobs in the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department, following the controversial 'one kanal cap' in the notification of SRO 520 that laid down rules for regularisation of land donors and other daily wagers in the different departments.
As per the SRO 520 issued by the Finance Department last month, the land donors who have donated their land free of cost to the government will be eligible for engagement as casual workers on the recommendations of concerned authorities.
"The minimum land donated should be one kanal of proprietary land and it should be legally mutated in favour of the State Government," the SRO read, the one
kanal rider blocking the chances of those land owners who have donated less than the area mentioned for the water supply schemes.
Angered by the SRO, these donors have closed down the schemes and no longer allow PHE officials to operate them, creating water crises in many districts.
Over 587 persons are awaiting engagement in PHE department in lieu of their land while 861 donors have been engaged earlier under the same policy.
Farooq Ahmad of Saloor-Kalipora in Magam in Budgam district has donated 18 Marlas of his propriety land and as per SRO 520 does not qualify for regularsation.
Ahmad said that he has closed down the scheme from over a week now and this has deprived water supply to nearly 10 villages in the area.
"I have mutated the land and also made an agreement with the PHE department for job, but the new SRO deprives me of my right. I won't let the department open the scheme till I get the job," he told The News Now.
In Kehleel Arpathri village in Tral, Mohammad Ashraf Shah too has closed down the scheme and despite pressure from the villagers and the PHE officials for opening the scheme from the last 10 days, he is refusing insisting for his "right".
"From the last 10 days, I have closed the scheme. I have donated 18 Marlas of land in 2002 in lieu of job, but since the governments were delaying the issue. Now the new policy has deprived me of the right. Either I should get job or the PHE department should handover my land back to me," Shah told The News Now.
"Till then I won't open the scheme," he said.
Chief Engineer Public Health Engineering, Wahid Ahmad said that he has submitted the representation of land donors to the government, yet no instructions have been issued to the department about the matter.
"I have submitted their representation to the higher ups in the department. There is no clarity yet over the issue and I too have not got any instructions on it," Wahid told The News Now.
"SRO 520 is a government policy, PHE had no role in it," he said.
Thousands of people in the state have donated land to Public Health Engineering, Education, Power Development and other departments for construction of different infrastructure.