A critical issue that had been hanging fire for decades at end and was eluding settlement more owing to the apathy of powers that be than to any other reason, seems to have hit the final stage of clearance. The State Cabinet has finally given nod to the approval of a 9096 crore rupees package for the PoK and Chhamb displaced persons. The bold effort of final and lasting settlement of the issues of people who migrated from PoK in 1947 and the persons who were displaced from Chhamb in the wars of 1965 and 1971 will remove one of the major irritants that often put a spoke in the smooth administration in Jammu. It has to be said in all fairness that the State Government never took the issues of these affected people seriously and thus they went on unheard and uncared for. Yet it remains to be said that the affected people did not surrender and kept on their struggle and the day has come when they are fully vindicated.
Cabinet’s nod to their final settlement is not an obligation on them; it is the duty which the State Government performed albeit belatedly. It is also true that the affected people had become very active and had been demonstrating strongly not only in Jammu but at other places in the country where they had to shift in search of livelihood when they were denied jobs and other opportunities in their mother state. We should appreciate their steadfastness to the cause they had taken up decades ago. We should also appreciate the decision of the state though taken belatedly. We are told that a senior Minister of NC had tried to scuttle the memorandum but then the affected people had strong supporters among Jammu Ministers who put their foot down and finally succeeded winning for the people whom they had been promising so often to care for redress of their grievances. Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah also due to his personal intervention ensured that justice was provided to the displaced persons.
Mere recommending the Centre to provide funds to the tune of 9096 crore rupees for final settlement of two categories of refugees is not enough. In the first place we have to see how the Central Government looks at the proposal. Secondly we would like to know the time frame within which disbursement of relief and cash doles to the concerned is carried out. We know the saying that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. Disbursement within time frame is a very difficult thing to happen smoothly. In the first place there is multiplication of homesteads ever since they migrated from PoK. One family has split into several families and the question is whether they will all be considered a single family or separate entities demanding relief as per the order of the Government. The Government intends to call it one time final settlement and is of opinion that Rs. 25 lakh be given to each family and close the chapter. However, there is no closing the chapter. The affected refugees/migrants have the right to ask for special recruitment in state and Central Government services and reservations for their children in professional institutions for higher studies. These people have suffered long in some cases entire period of independence. What they will be getting will be the result of their six decade long struggle. There are many families that may not have earning hands and they have to be provided incentives and facilities to run their small scale business to make both ends meet. It is in the fitness of things that the Government will constitute a committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu with Deputy Commissioners of Poonch, Rajouri, Samba, Kathua and Jammu as its members to carry forward the implementation part of the package once it receives the nod from the Central Government. Therefore it is a great day for these refugees and with the package untied they should be able to run the chores of life without hassles.
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