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Minorities Commission chief critical of govt
In a sudden move, the State government on Monday shifted the office of the State Minorities Commission, including furniture and files, from Raghava Sadan to a two-bedroom flat. The Commission had been functioning from Raghava Sadan for three years.
SHIFTING OF OFFICE
Hyderabad: In a sudden move, the State government on Monday shifted the office of the State Minorities Commission, including furniture and files, from Raghava Sadan to a two-bedroom flat. The Commission had been functioning from Raghava Sadan for three years.
Chairman of State Minorities Commission (SMC) that serves Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Abid Rasool Khan, alleged that attempts were being made to weaken the panel. He demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao order a high-level inquiry into the matter. "State Minorities Commission is a statutory body. I am struggling to build it up since 2013 after my appointment.
In the last three years our office was shifted three times - from Secretariat to Raghava Sadan and now the authorities themselves got shifted the office to an apartment," Khan told reporters here. The Commission, he said, had been doing good work for the benefit of minorities and addressed thousands of grievances and took up inquiries to enable justice to people.
A case had been filed in High Court, for the continuation of Commission as per the A P Reorganisation Act 2013. The High Court posted the case for hearing to January 25. It appears that a recent letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Minorities Commission seeking investigation into the irregularities of Wakf properties may have provoked government to resort to such a move, the Chairman said.
Rasool Khan said he would have voluntarily quit if the government wished so. He advised the state government not to destabilise the Commission in this way and demanded that a considerable budget be allocated for its functioning. The Minority Commission had raised hopes among the Minority communities in the State and it worked for their welfare with all the judicial powers it had.
However, State government’s recent move seemed to be belied the hopes of Minorities in the State, he said. Rasool Khan said that he was not interested to hold the office but had to continue in the light of court orders even though his term had ended in June last year. “I am ready to quit, if the government wishes so. I have been writing to the Chief Minister about Commission’s status, but there has been no response.” he said.
The Chairman noted that without any proper support from the government (budget or staff), it has been functioning effectively dispensing most of the cases like any other court. Given its status as a statutory body, it should be given respect like BC, SC and ST commissions, he added.
