Sir,
Border was fenced to deny infiltration to Pak militants. Instead of erecting it on the border it was aligned far away from the border as such large chunk of cultivated land fell on Pak side of the fence depriving poor farmers to earn their livelihood by cultivating their land. The alignment worked out has been faulty because it hinders cultivation on the land by the farmers in normal manner.
Poor farmers affected by the fence can not cultivate their land due to restrictions imposed by the Defence authorities and also due to Pak firing. For the last 17 years since erection of fence, no compensation has been paid to these farmers by the Govt/Defence Ministry in lieu of denying cultivation. Therefore, a large number of farmers have been suffering huge losses. They have been running from pillar to post but no one seems to be serious to resolve their most important issue.
Though an RTI activist and social worker has taken up this case with Defence Ministry and local authorities to resolve this issue once for all and Government has issued directions through Defence channel as well as Divisional Commissioner/ District Commissioner’s Channel to assess the compensation, but authorities are not taking the matter seriously and directions are pending implementation. Government and Defence authorities are requested to do the needful at the earliest on the following lines :-
* Assess and pay rental compensation regularly on six monthly basis in accordance with rules already in vogue.
* Hire the land and pay rent to the owners so that they are not deprived of their livelihood.
The effected farmers are very poor from Chhamb area. Politicians have been giving them mere false promises and nothing else.
K S Jamwal, VSM
Col Jt Chairman
JKESL (WHO)
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