MJR-47 delegation calls on Union Minister, raises issues

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 23: A deputation of MJR-47, Movement for Justice to Refugees of 1947 fom PoJK, today met the Union Minister, Purushotam Rupala and projected issues of the displaced families from Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir, during public meeting at Kirpind in R S Pura.
Om Prakash Khajuria, Block Miran Sahib president, MJR-47 led the delegation and presented a memorandum to the visiting Minister, in presence of Lt Governor, GC Murmu who was also present there. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Dy Commissioner Jammu and many other higher officials were also present on the occasion.
Khajuria told the Minister that 73 years have passed but the DPs of 1947 from PoJK have not been rehabilitated and are waiting for justice till date. He said DPs have lost more than 45000 lives in the so called Tribal raid by Pak Army on J&K State in Oct 1947. These DPs are the first victims of the Kashmir issue and the first party for any solution on the issue.
“Our DPs have now built up houses on small pieces of land in the then camps established with our own resources without any Govt aid. But height of injustice is that the plot or piece of land on which we have built our houses, Govt has not even given us the proprietary rights.
More than one lakh refugees/DPs are living on the Railway line for the last 72 years. This has multplied our miseries, as we can not even sell or divide the house among the successor families nor can mortgage the property for taking even educational loans for higher studies of our wards,” he maintained.
He said State Govt had deducted the cost of agricultural land and small housing plots or quaters allotted to DPs earlier out of the Rs 3500 ex-gratia grant by the then Union Govt in 1960. ” We fail to understand when Govt talks about one Constitution, one law of equality then why discrimination with us. GoI is showering package after package for Valley Migrants but are totally blind to DPs of 1947,” Khajuria added.
He said there are recommendations by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs GoI to give Rs 30 lakh interim relief to DPs but the State Govt reduced it to paltry Rs 5.5 lakhs per family as registered in 1947. The Govt has reserved 24 seats of Legislative Assemebly for PoJK area residents, why don’t they defreeze at least 8 seats for us, the original residents of PoJK,” he regretted.

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