Safai karamcharis hopes dashed again

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 16

The announcement of the schedule for the urban local bodies (ULBs) elections has rekindled a hope among citizens to get basic civic amenities, but the polls are nothing but a “cruel joke” for those maintain cleanliness for the common masses.

As non-permanent residents, members of the Valmiki community working in different parts of Jammu province as safai karamcharis are being deprived of the right to franchise in the elections.

Providing civic amenities to people solely depends on people of the Valmiki community, who are the “backbone” of most of the urban local bodies in Jammu. Most of these families are living in urban areas such as Gandhi Nagar, Dogra Hall, Resham Ghar, Bakshi Nagar, Nagrota, Udhampur and other localities.

“See our agony. Members of our community are the backbone of most of the civic bodies across the Jammu region, but we don’t have the voting rights in the ULBs elections,” Garu Bhatti, president of the Valmiki Samaj, told The Tribune. “To us, these elections are nothing but a cruel joke,” he said.

Living in different localities of Jammu since 1957, these safai karamcharies were especially called from Punjab to provide basic amenities to people. Then Prime Minister of J&K Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad had convened an emergent Cabinet meeting, in which a decision was taken to bring safai karmacharis from other states to ensure cleanliness in Jammu.

Over 250 Valmiki families were brought from the Gurdaspur and Amritsar areas of Punjab with a promise that all constitutional rights as being provided to other citizens of J&K will be given to them by relaxing some rules.

Even after 61 years, members of the community are required in J&K only to serve as safai karamcharis without having any constitutional and democratic right.

In Jammu since 1965 

• Living in different localities of Jammu since 1957, these safai karamcharis were especially called from Punjab to provide basic amenities to people
• Over 250 Valmiki families were brought from Gurdaspur and Amritsar in Punjab with a promise that all constitutional rights as being provided to other citizens of J&K will be given to them by relaxing some rules
• Even after 61 years, the right to vote in the urban local bodies eludes the community