*Archives Deptt reeling under manpower, infra shortage
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 24: Notwithstanding the fact that Department of Archives has no record of important documents and communications of State Government, judiciary and other vital institutions of last three decades, not even one department of J&K has so far come forward to furnish the pending records for being kept in repository despite explicit directions from the Minister for Finance and Culture about four months back.
Moreover, no attention has yet been paid towards strengthening the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, which is reeling under acute shortage of manpower and infrastructure during the past many years.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that since 1985 the State Government and its departments besides judiciary and other vital institutions denied their official record to the Department of Archives despite the fact that the same is mandatory under law so that repository is able to meet the requirements of historians, researchers and students.
Stating that due to non-cooperation from the Government departments very limited material is available with the Department of Archives of these three decades, sources said, “even the Department of Archives never tried to vigorously pursue this issue with the successive Chief Ministers so that pressure is exerted on the departments for furnishing the record to make the repository rich”, adding “this is notwithstanding the fact that major role of Department of Archives is to collect and provide access to the historically valuable public records created by all levels of State Government”.
It is pertinent to mention here that in order to document the State’s history, Government entities are required by law to transfer records to the Archives Department for permanent preservation. All the records except those declared to be confidential are required to be made available for research.
Taking serious note of non-availability of important record of the Government particularly Cabinet decisions in the repository of Department of Archives since 1985, the Minister for Culture and Finance, Dr Haseeb Drabu, while chairing a meeting on April 22, 2016, had explicitly told all the departments to cooperate with the Department of Archives in archiving the record of last 31 years.
For this he had fixed timeframe of six months. He had further told the departments that he wanted to see every Cabinet decision, Government order of structural importance and other important documents archived within the fixed time-frame.
However, despite lapse of four months not even one department has come forward with the record of last 31 years for being archived by the Department of Archives, sources informed, adding “the only positive thing that has taken place since the issuance of directions by the Minister for Finance and Culture is regular submission of latest record to the Department of Archives but no seriousness has been shown towards making available record of period between 1985 and 2016”.
“If the departments fail to furnish the record of this period to the Department of Archives, the State will be deprived of vital documents of three decades and the same would be major set-back to making the repository rich in real sense”, sources said, adding “from the non-submission of record inference can also be drawn that there is no practice of maintaining records by the Government departments in J&K”.
Moreover, no attention has so far been paid towards meeting the requirements of Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, which otherwise is reeling under acute shortage of manpower, funds and infrastructure, sources said while disclosing that during the past many years neither creation of new posts in this vital department nor filling up of vacant posts received serious attention of the successive Governments.
“If the record of last three decades is to be archived, this department needs additional accommodation, manpower and funds”, sources said, adding the present accommodation of Department of Archives at Jammu and Srinagar is grossly inadequate for the purpose.
In Srinagar, the Archives Repository is housed in Old Secretariat Complex while as in Jammu the same is situated in Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex.
When contacted, Director Department of Archives, Mohammad Shafi Zahid confirmed that majority of the departments have yet not started furnishing record of last three decades while as fresh record is now being sent regularly. “I am going to bring this to the notice of Minister for Culture so that fresh directions are issued to all the departments”, he added.
About shortage of infrastructure, he said, “there is proposal to provide additional infrastructure at Jammu as well as Srinagar and the same is likely to become reality soon”. He further said, “even proposal has been mooted for providing additional funds to this department”.
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