Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 14: All India Migrant Camps Coordination Committee (AIMCCC) held a massive protest rally at Press Club Jammu under the leadership of its president Desh Rattan Pandita, with active support from the All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC).
The rally sought to highlight the long-standing issues and ongoing neglect of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community, which has been living in exile within their own country for the past 36 years.
Addressing the media during the protest, leaders from both organizations condemned what they described as the administration’s deep slumber and step-motherly treatment towards the hapless community.
Speakers at the rally included Desh Rattan Pandita, P K Raina, Sundri Lal, P N Jalali, J L Raina, Ramesh Tikoo, Bhushan Lal, Meela Misri, Anjali Kar and Priya Dhar, who collectively shed light on the suffering endured by the community since their displacement. They urged the Government to take serious note of the worsening conditions and unmet demands of Kashmiri Pandits, many of whom remain dependent on relief and basic amenities.
The protestors raised several key demands including enhancement of monthly cash assistance to Rs 25,000, provision of at least one Government job per family with no income source, and a special economic policy to support overaged educated unemployed youth in starting their own ventures. They also reiterated their longstanding plea for minority status to be granted to the Kashmiri Pandit community and called for a separate budgetary allocation for the welfare of the displaced population.
Other pressing issues raised during the protest included the installation of four bore wells at Jagti township and similar migrant camps to address water shortages, immediate stoppage of frequent power cuts especially during the extreme summer heat, and urgent steps to rescue encroached land belonging to displaced families as well as preserve their temples and shrines.
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