Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, June 23: The Jammu and Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) has demanded share of seats in favour of Displaced Persons of 1947 from POJK in the J&K Assembly.
The displaced persons in the meetings held at village Khour, Chak Salaria and Chak Babral in district Samba under the banner of Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) today, strongly demanded that DP’s share of 8/9 assembly seats be released immediately as they are settled in Jammu region from the last more than seven decades, as J&K is fully integrated with Union of India and now the Govt has no justification to captivate their constitutional rights of representation.
The participants also demanded implementation of JPC report No. 183, the only roadmap to resolve the DP’s settlement issues and accordingly payment of final compensation could be made after the liberation of POK as asserted by GOI many times.
Speaking in the meeting Gurdev Singh alongwith Ch Darshan Singh (Chairman BDC), Bhagwan Singh and Capt. Puran Singh Chib, said it is not understood that on what ground the Delimitation Commission has recommended to Central Govt for consideration of only 2/3 seats for DPs of 1947 instead of 8/9 seats which are at present exactly proportional to their population settled in Jammu region. He apprised the participants that constitutional assembly was convened in 1951 and it delineated 100 seats for J&K. The election was held for 75 seats only and 25 seats of the residents of Pak occupied areas of J&K were reserved and kept vacant. He said that strength of Assembly seats remained 100 only, when an Act was passed in 1988 and seats of J&K Assembly were increased by 111 in 1995 after making an amendment.
He said as per Section 48 of the erstwhile J&K state election was held for 87 seats only including 4 seats of Ladakh. 24 seats were reserved again and kept vacant for show casing only to strengthen the Indian constitutional claim over POK. He further said that after abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A the DPs were hopeful that some provision would be made in the Reorganization Act to accommodate DPs but unfortunately nothing happened. He said that Delimitation Commission lacks justification in recommending consideration of only two seats for DPs out of their total share of 8/9 seats.
The speakers appealed to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minster Amit Shah to amend the Re-organisation Act in the ensuing Parliamentary Session to accommodate DPs in Legislative structure of J&K.
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