Five Working Groups constituted by the UPA Government during its tenure with the purpose of addressing various problems and demands of J&K State were nothing beyond an exercise in futility. No recommendations made by these groups have been accepted and implemented except a couple of them suggesting fringe development. The Working Group on State-Centre Relations headed by (now late) Justice Sagheer Ahmad, sent in its report to the Chief Minister of J&K who, in turn, appointed Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) to examine the report and make recommendations. Two ruling coalition parties clashed on the text of the report and the result was that the report was relegated to the dust bin.
Many futile exercises have been made so far to improve and streamline administration in J&K and iron out relations with the Centre. There were doubts from the very beginning whether the five working groups constituted by the then Manmohan Singh Government would really and practically serve any purpose or not. Observers were sceptical about its purposefulness. Circumstances have shown that those doubts were not misplaced. With the announcement of elections, the report has lost its validity and will be consigned to the cold store. This should be an eye opener to Kashmir watchers and policy planners. The simple message is that the problems related to Kashmir need not be exaggerated and blown out of proportion and made something very exceptional. Secondly, it will be simple mockery if half-hearted and half-baked solutions are put forward that ultimately result in waste of time and money. What has come out of Padgaonkar Interlocutor Committee report? It is collecting dust but the public exchequer had to waste more than one or two crore of rupees to feast the pompous committee members. The problem of J&K is of good, effective and result oriented Government; it is the question of uniform development and doing away with regional discrimination; it is the question of uprooting corruption. These issues are not solved by committees and commissions and working groups. Those are only gimmicks to bid time. But we have no time to waste. The State needs action on the ground, pragmatic approach to problems and resurrection of efficient and competent administration.
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