By Team Clarion
PUSHED TO THE MARGIN
* There are no Muslims among the top 11 Survey of India officials
* The International Boundary Directorate has only two Muslims
* Geodetic & Research has three Muslims among 165 officials
* Nine Muslims among 138 officials at NIGST in Hyderabad
THE Survey of India (SOI), the national engineering agency for mapping and surveying, operating under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, has on its rolls several Muslim officials across its work of creating and maintaining official topographic maps and geospatial data of the world’s most populous country, according to Mohammed Abdul Mannan’s new book, At the Bottom of the Ladder: State of the Indian Muslims – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GF1Q9R25 – which quantified Muslim presence in 150 key organisations, including Union ministries, departments, and organisations.
The oldest scientific department of the Indian government, dating back to 1767, was organised into five directorates in 1950, which has now grown into 22 directorates across the country to provide the basic map coverage required for the development of the country. The Dehradun-based SOI created three Digital Centres during the late 1980s to generate a Digital Topographical Database for the entire country for use in various planning processes and the creation of a Geographic Information System (GIS).
Its specialised directorates, like Geodetic and Research, and the Indian Institute of Surveying and Mapping, have been strengthened to assist in scientific programmes related to geophysics, remote sensing, and digital data transfer. The SOI acts as adviser to the Union government on all survey matters, including Geodesy, Photogrammetry, Mapping, and Map Reproduction.
There is no Muslim among its top 11 officials, including the Surveyor-General of India, as is the case with four zonal heads. None of the 65 Surveyor-Generals that India has had since 1815 has been a Muslim. The first Surveyor-General was Colin Mackenzie, a British official who fought the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799 when Tipu Sultan was defeated by the British and killed in battle. Over the next 10 years, he led the Mysore Survey, mapping the geography, the history, and the customs of the territory.
The Geospatial Directorate has 19 officials, including one Muslim, Inam Amil, Director of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Geospatial Directorate. One of the six officials at the Geospatial Wings is a Muslim, E Ahmad. The 59 senior officials include one Muslim, Mohammed Shahid Kamal Ansari, Deputy Controller of Accounts. Among 90 officials at other offices are two Muslims – Mohammed Azimuddin, Officer Surveyor in Hyderabad, and M Syed Mohamed Buhari, Surveyor Officer at Archival Section. Eighty-three officials at other sections and divisions include a Muslim, M P Ahamed, Officer Surveyor at the Kerala and Lakshadweep wing.
A total of 107 officials in other offices include no Muslims. Among the 245 officials at the Office of the Surveyor General of India in Dehradun, one is a Muslim – Shuaib Alam, Deputy Superintending Surveyor. The International Boundary Directorate has 142 officials, including two Muslims. None of the 25 officials at the GRF and Geospatial Data Exchange Division, as is the case at the National Geospatial Data Registry and Unified Geospatial Interface Directorate, which has 72 officials.
The Geodetic and Research has three Muslims among 165 officials. The NGDR and UGI-Disaster Recovery Wing in Hyderabad has no Muslims among its 48 officials, as is the case with the Standard Wing with seven officials and the Northern Zone office in New Delhi with 24 officials.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.