SRINAGAR, Apr 3: A Kashmiri family’s pursuit of ex-gratia relief for property destroyed in a militancy-related incident in December 1992 has extended over three decades, with the second generation now seeking answers from the Central Information Commission (CIC) regarding the compensation’s status.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the property, located in Verinag, Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, comprised a three-storey residential house, a multi-storey cowshed, and a wooden granary, spread across approximately 10 marlas of land. It was reportedly destroyed on the night of December 7-8, 1992, due to subversive activities.
The appellant, Pran Nath, filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, asserting that to his knowledge, no ex-gratia relief had been disbursed to the concerned parties to date. He requested details concerning the individual who purportedly received the relief, the amount disbursed, and the relevant sanction orders, especially as authorities had indicated that payment had already been made.
Official records indicate that an amount of Rs 44,500, deemed admissible under the norms prevalent at the time of the incident, had been sanctioned and forwarded to the Relief Commissioner (M) Jammu for disbursement. However, a subsequent communication from the relief and rehabilitation commissioner’s office stated that, according to available records, no such amount had been disbursed to Shiv Ji Sharma, Damodar Sharma, Maharaj Krishen, Amarnath, Pushkar Nath, or Shamboo Nath, all residents of Verinag, Anantnag district, concerning the damage to their immovable property in the militancy incident of December 7-8, 1992.
Pran Nath maintains that neither he nor any other legal heirs have received any compensation and is seeking to ascertain the identity of the individual who allegedly withdrew the sanctioned relief. This case represents a generational struggle for justice, with Pran Nath continuing the claim originally initiated by his late father, Shiv Ji Sharma, who was one of the co-owners of the destroyed property. The family had previously approached the high court through a writ petition, which had directed the authorities to consider their case within a specified timeframe.
The responsibility of pursuing the matter has now fallen to the second generation due to the passage of time and the demise of the original claimants. They continue to seek definitive clarity on whether the sanctioned relief ever reached the rightful beneficiaries. Chief Information Commissioner Raj Kumar Goyal noted that critical facts pertaining to the alleged disbursal could not be definitively established in the absence of the respondent official.
Goyal emphasized the imperative of hearing the Public Information Officer (PIO) from the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Anantnag before reaching any conclusions. The Chief Information Commissioner further pointed out that the official had neither attended the scheduled hearing, despite proper advance notice, nor submitted any written statement or counter to present the relevant facts or arguments. The Central Information Commission’s intervention highlights the ongoing challenges faced by families seeking redressal for damages incurred due to past militancy-related incidents.
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