Srinagar, 23 October 2010 (by Bashir Assad): Hospitality for which Kashmir was known for centuries, has been transformed by the elite as an institution of corruption for favour. In the recent past startling revelations were made about the missing of some antiques of Maharaj’s time from the Hospitality and Protocol Department. Sources said that some of these historical antiques were gifted by the government to many VVIP’s who visited Kashmir in recent past. The steeling of ancient gems and carpets was brushed under the carpet with the argument that it was malicious campaign of the opposition parties to malign the government.

It was around the same period that Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology visited Kashmir between Jun 20-24. The standing committee headed by Rao Inderjeet Singh visited Radio Kashmir Srinagar and Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar to have first hand information about the latest means of Information Technology applied in the government controlled electronic media in Jammu and Kashmir. Coincidently, the Prasar Bharti had appointed a new station Director for Radio Kashmir around the same period in the month of May. The new incumbent Bashir Arif replaced renowned poet Rafiw Raz . soon after Bashir Arif took over as Director Radio administrative crisis emerged in the reputed institution and the program staff of Radio Kashmir went rebellion for alleged misbehaviours of the station director with his subordinate staff. The subordinate also alleged the new incumbent of indulging in financial irregularities.

However, the interesting part of the story starts with the visit of the Parliamentary Standing Committee to Radio Kashmir. The visiting Committee members which include Rao Inderjeet Singh, Charles Dias, Mihlesh Kumar, Toofani Saroj, Smt. Darshana Jardosh, Alka Baklram Kshetrya and Jasu Das were presented gifted expensive Kashmiri artefacts, handicrafts and the world best quality saffron worth lakhs of rupees. This correspondent is in possession of official documents of Radio Kashmir Srinagar in which it has been approved on the file to purchase Tea Cozy Sets with Table covers, Coaster Sets Papier Machie, Crewl Embroidery carry bags and Saffron. According to the documents the gift items were purchased after market survey as there was no time left for quotations to purchase the gift items for the visiting Parliament Members.

It is very astounding that most of the visiting dignitaries especially the parliamentary delegations are presented with gifts with the sole intention to conceal the corrupt practices of the government functionaries. The program staff of Radio Kashmir, with reference to the aforementioned incident met Speaker of Lok Sabha Mira Kumar who was on official visit to Kashmir in connection to the 75th All India Presiding Officers Conference held in Srinagar on Jun 22. The speaker has reportedly ordered inquiry into the incident. Though the Prasar Bharti has ordered a departmental probe with reference to the corruption charges against the station director and a central vigilance raided the directorate on October 9 but the problem is much more bigger than what is being perceived. How could a parliamentary committee receive gifts purchased from official money? Does it not tantamount to institutionalized corruption? Of course, the gifts received by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology are of the value not beyond 1 lakh fifty thousands as projected on the official note of Radio Kashmir Srinagar but it is certainly fraught with dangerous consequences as the receivers are the members of the World’s most vibrant parliament and representatives of parliamentary democracy. But it happens here in Kashmir.