Is not a big communication gap developing between the administration and contemporary society? The administration is not able to respond to the demands of society in a manner that brings satisfaction to the latter or inspires it with trust in the administration. The reason for yawning gap is that the administration lacks vision of future and is sensitive to the imperatives of nationalism. Western societies have a cute mix of nationalism and futuristic vision. We, unfortunately lack both to a major extent. The administration shall have to be in consonance with the aspirations of society failing which it will never feel happy on its performance. This may appear harsh censure but it is the truth. Democracy means power of people and that power has to be felt and respected.
Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is a very prestigious institute of the Government of India. Its relevance in modern times has to be understood in the background of incredible growth of Information Technology. The IIMC is training Indian youth to handle communication in its various dimensions. More and more people are getting literate and skillful. Education and awareness have taken big leaps in our country and India of 2015 is not what it was when we earned independence in 1947. Mass communication received extraordinary impetus in a democratic dispensation where press has to be free and the Right to Information compels institutions to come out with information hitherto considered classified and ordinary people had little access to it. Conceding the fact that Jammu and Kashmir, a very sensitive state of the Union should have an Institute of Mass Communication of its own, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting decided to establish Regional Branch of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) at Jammu. The purpose was to nurture local talent in the State so that social, economic, political and other issues of the State are highlighted and discussed in right perspective. Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took the matter seriously and dispatched its Joint Secretary to take up the matter with State authorities. The issue was of acquiring 15 acres of suitable land for the campus. The Union Ministry was to make investment and the State Government had no financial commitments. On the recommendation of a Monitoring Committee, the Central team visited Jammu to select one of the three identified sites. Finally, in July 2011, 123 kanals and 18 marlas land in village Keran in the outskirts of Jammu city were approved. Thereafter the process of its transfer to the Higher Education Department for establishment of the Regional Branch of IIMC followed. After acquiring the portion of the State land and Forestland of identified site was transferred to the Department of Higher Education, JDA agreed to transfer its property of 35 kanals to the Higher Education to finalize the deal. The Higher Education Department paid 1.05 crore rupees as development charges but transfer was delayed by the JDA on the issue of payment of ground rent. Under rules, when one department is transferring land to another department, ground rent rules do not apply. Housing and Urban Development Department has administrative control over Jammu Development Authority. It took three years to resolve the issue with regard to ground rent. After three years of bureaucratic intricacies, the stage has come when 35 kanals of land will be transferred to the Higher Education Department. However, this is not the end of the story. Another long journey has begun. How long will the Higher Education Department take to finalize the lease of the entire land to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is anybody’s guess? The purpose of recounting this long and sordid story is that the bureaucracy in the State is not responsive either to the ground situation in the State or to the aspirations and urges of the contemporary society. Four years have gone by and still many more years are needed to acquire the land legally. Thereafter more years will be needed to raise the structure and provide infrastructure. In short, this project seems to stretch on to two decades at least. Imagine the loss inflicted on the promising youth of the State and imagine the loss to overall development of the State. All this happens because we are bogged with the labyrinthine of State bureaucracy. Day in and day out, we cry for reformation in administrative system. Nothing happens on ground and this is why we say that there is a yawning gap between the people and the administration.
Follow our WhatsApp channel