Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 29: The Dal dwellers today said that their forced rehabilitation to Rakh-Arth is biggest human rights violation and threatened Back to Dal programme if Government fails to reconstruct their houses and provide them means of livelihood.
A seminar and congregation of “Dal Dwellers Welfare Union” was held at Nehru Park in which the entire community of Hanji’s including floating market traders, Aquatic Traders Association, Zamindars, vegetable growers, fishermen, Taxi Shikara Union, Photographers Union, Rakhi-Arth Dwellers and Houseboat Owners participated.
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The speakers at the event termed the forced rehabilitation of Dal dwellers to Rakh-Arth as the biggest human rights violation. They announced a collective decision of “Back to Dal” programme for Rakhi-arth residents if the authorities fail to reconstruct their houses and provide means of livelihood with all necessary facilities as per the original plan.
All the issues related to conservation of Dal were discussed and the policies adopted by the authorities over last 2 decades were rued by the Dal dwellers. The policies and forged narratives adopted towards the ethnic dwellers have proved detrimental both for humans as well as the lake.
All the concerned associations were unanimous about the biased, unscientific and detrimental reportage by Committee of Experts about the lake and its people. Though the dwellers and activists of Dal Lake spend a lot of time with the said committee, it is understood that they have carried forward the same agenda of dis-enfranchising the Hanji’s from their lake.
“Planners and think tanks in Europe put their best efforts forward to save a culture especially of ethnic and distinct communities, however, here the plans are all about the persecution of Dal dwellers”, they said.
At the seminar members of different communities decided that they will no more accept the dictum of forced dislocations and will put a foot forward to save their culture and identity which is connected to Dal Lake.
Dal Dwellers have vowed to organize peaceful protests especially during the visit of important central ministers and officials to the Dal Lake.
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