Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 17: Congress, National Conference leaders and several bodies of Displaced Persons (DPs/ refugees) have expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and State Cabinet for approving Rs 9096 crore package for the one time settlement of the refugees/ displaced persons in the State.
Former Minister and PCC general secretary R S Chib described this decision of the Cong-NC Coalition Government as the right step taken after long wait by refugees. While expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister and the State Cabinet, Mr Chib said it is unfortunate that some members from the National Conference tried to scuttle the process. It could be possible with the forceful intervention of the Dy Chief Minister and the Congress Ministers.
Mr Chib said it was the long pending demand of the refugees of PoK and Chhamb which did not get the attention of the earlier Governments, except the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. PCC chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz also put his best efforts to get the package cleared from the State Government by exerting pressure in the Coordination Committee meets. He hoped that now Modi Government at the Centre would consider the package and release funds for the refugees/ DOPs waiting for the last several decades.
Former Minister and senior Congress leader Gulchain Singh Charak talking to media persons at Bishnah welcomed the decision of the State Cabinet regarding giving nod to the package for refugees for their one time settlement. He said it was long pending demand of the refugees and they were agitating for the last many decades. He also expressed gratitude to the Government for creating 221 new administrative units in the State.
Mr Charak congratulated the PoK refugees and other DPs who were struggling since long for this long pending demand. The Congress leader also raised the problems of the people belonging to Bishnah and R S Pura being faced in view of Pak firing and their migration to the different camps.
Former Minister and senior Congress leader Madan Lal Sharma in a public meeting at Gandwa and Kotli Tada today described the decision of the State Cabinet for one time settlement of PoK and Chhamb displaced persons as historic step. He recalled that the UPA-II Govt led by Dr Manmohan Singh last year had asked the State Government to send the proposal but the Kashmir centric leaders were not in its favour as the displaced persons live only in Jammu. Mr Sharma regretted the anti-Jammu approach of some leaders but extended gratitude to the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues for ultimately recommending it to the Union Government. He said the credit goes to the Congress Ministers who forcefully tabled the issue in the cabinet.
Provincial President of National Conference for Jammu Davender Singh Rana and other senior party leaders have extended gratitude to the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led Government for taking a historic decision in recommending Rs 9000 crore package to the union Government for the PoK and Chhamb refugees to the Union Government as one time settlement. In a joint statement the senior party leaders welcomed the decision and maintained that Chief Minister has come up to his commitment with regard to package for refugees and creation of some more Administrative Units as per aspirations of the people. They said comprehensive package was the long pending demand of the PoK refugees/ and DPs from Chhamb/ West Pakistan. Now, Union Government has to play its part in releasing funds, they added.
Prominent signatories to the statement from NC are- S S Slathia, Rattan Lal Gupta, Kashmira Singh, Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy, Abdul Ghani Malik, Rashpal Singh, Ajatshatru Singh, Aijaz Jan, Vijay Bakaya, Bimla Luthra, Dr Shehnaz Ganai, Harbans Singh, Master Noor Hussain, M A Bhukhari, Mirza Abdul Rashid, Vijay Lakshmi Dutta and Brij Mohan Sharma.
Meanwhile, SOS International, an organization of PoK refugees described this decision of State Government recommending Rs 9000 crore package to the Union Government as historic one and triumph of the PoK and West Pakistan/ Chhmab refugees. Rajiv Chuni chairman of the organization and other members including Dr Gurmeet Singh, J S Mangal, Yog Raj, Lalit Kumar, Harjeet Singh, S N Thapar and Roshan Lal congratulated the members of the community and hoped that Government of India would consider this package and release the funds in favour of refugees who are struggling for the last several decades. They said struggle is not yet over and they would have to pursue it in the Union Capital. They also referred to other pending issues of the refuges.
Non Camp Refugees Society Chhamb Sector ( Jammu), in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Khajoor Singh, described the decision of State cabinet as step in right direction. The members said the State Government has now given it nod to the Rs 9096 crore package and now it was the responsibility of the Central Government to act and release funds in favour of refugee families.
Terming the decision of State Government on refugees’ package as belated PoJK Sangarsh Morcha, said the most of the demands of the refugees were not touched by the Government during the Cabinet meeting and it put the ball in the court of Union Government only.
Convener of the Morcha, Dr Narinder Singh in a statement here today said the maximum demands of the refugees like Constitution of Refugees Development Board and reservation of eight seats in Assembly for them out of 24 seats kept for PoJK were not even touched in the Cabinet meeting.
Besides, nothing was said about the demand regarding grant of reservation to refugees settled on International Border as has been done in case of people living on ALC, grant of reservation to refugees in professional colleges of the State and job package for the refugees’ wards.
He said the Government has asked Centre to provide job package to them in Paramilitary Forces and also sought reservation in professional colleges outside the State but not given any thing from the State.
J&K Sikh Societies Amalgamate, led by Gurdeep Singh Sansan also extended gratitude to the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues to recommend package to the Centre for the West Pakistan, Chhamb and PoK refugees. Mr Sasan demanded that Central Government should release funds without any more delay in favour of refugee families.
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