Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 4: President Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal has appealed the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah to settle the problems of displaced Sikh people from PoJK 1947.
In a letter to Shah, Badal said that in 1947 about 10 lakh people from PoJK were displaced due to attack of Pak invaders and they were settled in Jammu region in different camps and colonies. These displaced Sikh community members are considered Sharnarthis as after lapse of 71 years neither the J&K Government nor the Central Government have rehabilitated them and no claim of their movable and immovable property left in PoJK got registered and no monetary benefits were given to them.
Recently in 2017 the NDA Government has released Rs 5.50 lakh as ex-gratia to per refugee family whereas their comprehensive package of Rs 30 lakh was recommended by the Wadhwa Commission out of which Rs 24.50 lakh is still pending which should be released.
The letter further said only 9000 of DP families were allotted land under the scale of four Acre irrigated and 6 Acre un-irrigated land and rest about 27,918 families have been left landless. These families are living in camps and slums under unhygienic conditions while the others who displaced in 1989-90 got all the facilities.
Badal also demanded minority facilities to the Sikh community living in Muslim majority State, implementation of Anand Marriage act, reservation of five assembly seats out of 24 Assembly seats reserved in the State Assembly for PoJK, creation of job avenues for unemployed youth of Sikh community, displaced Sikhs of the State be also included as Sikh migrants on the pattern of Kashmiri migrants and proper rehabilitation of Sikh Sharnarthis.
Earlier a delegation of POJK 1947 Sharnarthis Intellectual Forum have called on Badal in New Delhi under the leadership of Manjinder Singh Sirsa, president, Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee and advocate Amrik Singh president of the Forum and highlighted the charter of demands. Surjit Singh general secretary of the Forum was among others in the delegation.
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