Paharis in Uri rue delay in issuance of ST certificates

Uri, July 28: People belonging to Pahari Ethnic Group (PEG) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district complained of the inordinate delay by the authorities in issuing their Schedule Tribe (ST) category certificate.

The complaints expose the claims of the administration of simplifying the procedures for issuance of ST certificates to the Paharis.
A delegation of Pahari applicants told Greater Kashmir that they are facing various hardships in getting their certificates issued.

“I began the process to obtain my ST certificate four months ago, but neither the Numberdar nor the Chowkidar of my area are signing the documents or providing their reports for reasons unknown to us. We have been persistently seeking resolution, but our
concerns are being ignored,” said Tanveer Chalkoo, a resident of main town Uri. Chalkoo questioned why Paharis, who share cultural ties with the Gujjar community in Uri, are facing such issues.

“We have learned that local Tehsil office employees are issuing certificates based on their personal and caste biases, which is injustice. All residents of Uri are Paharis, and the certificates should be issued to everyone here without any delays,” he added.

The delay is also attributed to the formation of new committees by the Tehsil office in Uri to determine Pahari identity.

“They are constantly forming new committees to identify who is a Pahari and who is not, which violates SRO guidelines. Initially, fourth-class employees were involved, then a new team was appointed by the ACR Baramulla, and now the BLO and Masjid Committee are tasked with this identification process,” said Reyaz Ahmad, a local from Garkote village.

“The Pahari community in Uri is uncertain about the exact SOPs being followed for certificate issuance.”

A local social activist wishing not to be named expressed resentment against the authorities for lagging behind in upgrading the online system and providing better services to the people.

“Despite government claims about an online system, Uri lags far behind. Applicants must first apply
offline, which takes over a month to process, followed by an additional 15 days to update online.

The online system here is in a very poor condition,” the activist said, adding, “I raised this issue with former Chief Secretary of J&K UT, Arun Kumar Mehta, in October last year who assured me that all the services have gone online now.”