Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 13: In what could turn out to be major relief for 47012 families living within firing and shelling range of Pakistan along the International Border in three districts of Jammu region including Jammu, Samba and Kathua , the Government has prepared proposal for their rehabilitation in safer zones by allotting them 5 marla plots requiring 12,435.75 kanals land.
“The Government has prepared the proposal and would soon submit it to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which was batting the demand for rehabilitation of the border dwellers in safer zones to protect them from frequent mortar shelling and heavy firing by Pakistan in which several lives have been lost in addition to the damage caused to the property,” official sources told the Excelsior.
They said the MHA would shortly take a decision on rehabilitation of the border people, who have been bearing brunt of the Pakistani shelling and firing, leading to their frequent migration to Government schools, community centres and other available accommodation in safer zones, the latest being in first week of January this year in which three persons including two BSF jawans and a woman were killed and three others were injured.
According to details of the proposal, a total of 47012 families spread over 220 villages falling within firing and shelling range of Pakistan have been identified by the administration, who would require 12,435.75 kanals land for rehabilitation in the safer zones in three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua.
The proposal revealed that maximum number of 153 villages and 40094 families required rehabilitation from the border villages in Jammu district. They would need 10464 kanals land in safer zones if each family is allotted five marlas plot. Jammu will be followed by Samba district whose 5143 families living in 43 villages would need 1278 kanals land in the safer zones while Kathua district with 22 villages and 1775 families was in need of 693.75 kanals land for rehabilitation of the border dwellers.
In Jammu district, Khour sector has highest number of 12,240 families living in 23 villages, who would required 3499 kanals land for rehabilitation followed by Marh with 43 villages and 7951 families needing 1988 kanals of land. Akhnoor sector has only three villages with 773 families, who would required 194 kanals land while Pargwal sector with 29 villages and 5578 families was in need of 1395 kanals of land for rehabilitation of the border people, according to the State proposal.
Karha Balli sector has three villages falling within firing range of Pakistan with 737 families living there needing 184 kanals of land while Suchetgarh and Arnia sectors, the worst affected by shelling and firing in Jammu district, would need 1554 and 1650 kanals land for 6215 and 6600 families of 25 and 27 villages respectively.
According to sources, the administration in Akhnoor has identified 250 kanals land while in Karha Balli and Marh they have identified 260 and 2240 kanals of land respectively for the border migrants. The entire land identified for the border dwellers is State and JDA land. At rest of the place, the administration was in the process of identifying the Government land.
In Samba district, the administration would require 428 kanals of land for 1747 families in 20 villages falling under Rajpura sector along the International Border for allotment of 5 marla plots to the border people. In Ramgarh sector, the land requirement was 551 kanals for approximate 2204 families of 19 villages falling within firing and shelling range of Pakistan. In Samba sector, six villages in the firing range would need 298 kanals of land for 1192 families, sources said.
The administration has asked the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ghagwal to identify 900 kanals of land for the border dwellers of Rajpura, SDM Vijaypur to identify suitable land for the border people of Ramgarh and Tehsildar Samba for identification of State land for Samba sector in Rattanpur area.
In Kathua district, 18 villages falling in Hiranagar sector having 1506 families and four villages in Marheen sector with 268 families would require 443.75 kanals land for allotment and 250 kanals land for road, civic amenities etc totaling 693.75 kanals.
Sources said the land being identified for the border migrants would include the land required for all other purposes like civic amenities, schools, road etc apart from allotment of 5 marlas plot to each family.
According to sources, the MHA was expected to take decision shortly on allotment of land to the border people, which was a long pending demand of the people as they had suffered huge loss of property, cattle etc apart from lives in Pakistan shelling and firing, which has been witnessing spurt in violation of ceasefire agreement, which was in place between the two countries.
In the past several years, the previous Government has promised 5 marlas plot to the border people in safer areas to save them from Pakistan shelling and firing. However, they failed to take any decision. After heavy shelling and firing from Pakistan in August-September last year and January this year, the Centre Government (the MHA) decided to implement the decision of allotment of 5 marlas plots to the people living within firing and shelling range of Pakistan.
Apart from this, the Centre has also mooted the proposal for construction of concrete community bunkers in the border areas for immediate protection to the people from shelling if the firing or shelling start when the villagers are working in the fields.
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