Last year so many Bihari students were beaten in Assam. They were targeted because they had gone there to participate in state civil service examinations. Similar was the attitude of shiv-sainiks in Mumbai. One should not get surprised if a similar situation erupts in Kashmir especially after the incidents that was witnessed in Mahjoor Nagar where minor girl child was kidnapped and killed allegedly by some migrant laborers. Fortunately the allegation proved to be wrong and police suspected involvement of some locals in this crime. State subject law introduced in J&K state assembly was also aimed at protecting regional identity against the aggression from Gangetic plains. Because of hippocratic attitude of the rulers and the members of the state legislative assembly the bill couldn’t become law.
Within past fifty years Indian states are proceeding in altogether different directions. While development has been the main thrust of peripheral states. Increase of population without any concern for development has been the main direction of main land. Indian leadership within Hindi speaking states too seems to be indifferent towards issues of development. Lalu Prasad Inspite of being leader of down trodden state celebrates marriage of his daughter in an aristocratic manner. Mayawati who pretends to be leader of schedule casts celebrates her birthday with “Nawabi aan baan”. The issues which dominate within Hindi belt are issues of Temple/Mosque, caste and Hindutva. The leadership seems to be least concerned with welfare of people. Reason for this indifference seems to be the perception that the population of these states does not need to be cared. In case people are unable to find means of livelihood, they will definitely go to other states and extract as much of their share as they can. Infact people from Bihar, UP and Orissa do the same. They get out of their own states proceed to the developed regions. They strain avenues of employment. They spoil the civic systems. They pollute the culture and environment of these states. They carry along with them germs of disease. They provide a cheap labor force for all sorts of vice dens. They erect their own slums and use these places for manufacturing of drugs. It is these migrant labourers who become cheap conduits for drug trafficking and smuggling of narcotics. State authorities seem to be indifferent towards this phenomenon because in their numbers they get an avenue for magnifying the flow of “tourists” to Kashmir. They return back without paying any thing for the civic services they avail. Kashmir for quite sometime has become a favorable destination of these migrant labors from Bihar and UP. Thanks to insurgency and His Highness chillaikalan, they are unable to stay here through out the year. Inspite of temporary stay they render two and half lakh locals jobless. No doubt they provide cheap labour but at the same time they become siphon for extracting huge capital out of the state thus making all announcements of aid packages an illusion.
It is high time that the state takes notice of this phenomenon because breeding India cannot be allowed to become permanent liability for growing peripheral states. One of the ways to deal with this menace is to go for system of ‘work permits’ for non-state subjects. This measure will simply regulate the flow of migrant labourers, by making them to report and register themselves within the police stations and make them to pay for the civic amenities they avail. They can be and should be made to pay an amount of 100 rupees per month for their stay and working in the state. Usually migrant workers stay for a period of 6 months. If they are made to pay for their stay and working it will become great source of revenue for the state. Those who come to spread vices, beg and pollute can be differentiated from genuine tourists, workers and restricted from coming. Lately because of indifference of the state the migrant laborers have also started to indulge in criminal activities of the type hitherto unknown within J&K. Those who avail and become a strain for civic amenities can thus be compelled to contribute towards development of the facilities they avail. On top of all this job avenues for locals can be made secure and non-state subjects allowed working in those sectors only for which local man power is not available.
Let the ruling party and opposition come forward with a “Migrant Workers Registration Bill” before the assembly and prove there commitment towards distinct identity of the state and welfare of its people. Because of the Article 35(A) of the Indian constitution there is no legal impediment in this direction. Under this Article J&K state can make laws for the sake protection of interests of state subjects and the laws will remain valid irrespective of any contradiction with the fundamental rights of residents of other states. The bill will become an example for other states from Assam to Maharashtra. It can catalyze a rethinking within breeding states of India and sensitize its leadership towards developmental issues rather than issues of caste, religion etc. The income that gets generated out of this permit system should be allotted to local bodies within which this migrant population stays and works. Work permit system can also provide an avenue of generating revenue for these bodies so that they can plan and provide resources on the basis of the real population rather than the permanent population of the place.
Within past fifty years Indian states are proceeding in altogether different directions. While development has been the main thrust of peripheral states. Increase of population without any concern for development has been the main direction of main land. Indian leadership within Hindi speaking states too seems to be indifferent towards issues of development. Lalu Prasad Inspite of being leader of down trodden state celebrates marriage of his daughter in an aristocratic manner. Mayawati who pretends to be leader of schedule casts celebrates her birthday with “Nawabi aan baan”. The issues which dominate within Hindi belt are issues of Temple/Mosque, caste and Hindutva. The leadership seems to be least concerned with welfare of people. Reason for this indifference seems to be the perception that the population of these states does not need to be cared. In case people are unable to find means of livelihood, they will definitely go to other states and extract as much of their share as they can. Infact people from Bihar, UP and Orissa do the same. They get out of their own states proceed to the developed regions. They strain avenues of employment. They spoil the civic systems. They pollute the culture and environment of these states. They carry along with them germs of disease. They provide a cheap labor force for all sorts of vice dens. They erect their own slums and use these places for manufacturing of drugs. It is these migrant labourers who become cheap conduits for drug trafficking and smuggling of narcotics. State authorities seem to be indifferent towards this phenomenon because in their numbers they get an avenue for magnifying the flow of “tourists” to Kashmir. They return back without paying any thing for the civic services they avail. Kashmir for quite sometime has become a favorable destination of these migrant labors from Bihar and UP. Thanks to insurgency and His Highness chillaikalan, they are unable to stay here through out the year. Inspite of temporary stay they render two and half lakh locals jobless. No doubt they provide cheap labour but at the same time they become siphon for extracting huge capital out of the state thus making all announcements of aid packages an illusion.
It is high time that the state takes notice of this phenomenon because breeding India cannot be allowed to become permanent liability for growing peripheral states. One of the ways to deal with this menace is to go for system of ‘work permits’ for non-state subjects. This measure will simply regulate the flow of migrant labourers, by making them to report and register themselves within the police stations and make them to pay for the civic amenities they avail. They can be and should be made to pay an amount of 100 rupees per month for their stay and working in the state. Usually migrant workers stay for a period of 6 months. If they are made to pay for their stay and working it will become great source of revenue for the state. Those who come to spread vices, beg and pollute can be differentiated from genuine tourists, workers and restricted from coming. Lately because of indifference of the state the migrant laborers have also started to indulge in criminal activities of the type hitherto unknown within J&K. Those who avail and become a strain for civic amenities can thus be compelled to contribute towards development of the facilities they avail. On top of all this job avenues for locals can be made secure and non-state subjects allowed working in those sectors only for which local man power is not available.
Let the ruling party and opposition come forward with a “Migrant Workers Registration Bill” before the assembly and prove there commitment towards distinct identity of the state and welfare of its people. Because of the Article 35(A) of the Indian constitution there is no legal impediment in this direction. Under this Article J&K state can make laws for the sake protection of interests of state subjects and the laws will remain valid irrespective of any contradiction with the fundamental rights of residents of other states. The bill will become an example for other states from Assam to Maharashtra. It can catalyze a rethinking within breeding states of India and sensitize its leadership towards developmental issues rather than issues of caste, religion etc. The income that gets generated out of this permit system should be allotted to local bodies within which this migrant population stays and works. Work permit system can also provide an avenue of generating revenue for these bodies so that they can plan and provide resources on the basis of the real population rather than the permanent population of the place.
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