Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 23: The Jammu and Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) in its core group meeting held at Jammu expressed its utmost dismay over inordinate delay in designating Custodian Jammu as Provincial Rehabilitation Officer (PRO) or allocating powers of Provincial Rehabilitation Officer Jammu to some other authority or delegation of such powers to Deputy PRO Jammu because in the absence of any designated authority of PRO, implementation of One Time Settlement Relief Package Scheme of Rs 5.5 lakhs sanctioned by Prime Minister of India for displaced persons of 1947 from PoJK has suffered considerably being a time bound scheme which was extended upto March 2026 after great efforts.
Addressing the participants in the meeting JKSAC president, Gurdev Singh strongly condemned the concerned administration for not delegating the PRO powers to the newly posted Custodian thus ignoring the arrangements made by past Government. particularly 1982 onwards to run the affairs of both the offices smoothly. He said that after the retirement of the then Custodian cum PRO Jammu in April 2025, a new incumbent has been posted on the position of Custodian without designating him as PRO or allocating him of powers of PRO.
The displaced persons of 1947 from PoJK whose cases complete in all respects are pending for approval, are facing hardships as the said scheme is valid till ending March 2026 and lot of time has elapsed for non appointment of PRO which is the competent authority to clear all such cases. A large number of left over displaced persons are in queue to process their cases who too are suffering in the absence of designated PRO. Such displaced persons are approaching the JKSAC to request the Government for appointment of some designated authority as PRO or authorizing Dy PRO to function as PRO till the validity of this scheme as Dy PRO is well aware of the nitty-gritty of the provisions of this scheme.
JKSAC sought intervention of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah demanding delegation of powers of PRO to Custodian Jammu or in the alternative delegate such powers to Dy. PRO Jammu authorizing him to process and finalise the pending claims of displaced persons of 1947 from PoJK under the given scheme.
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