Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: All J&K PoJK 1947 Sharnarthi Intellectual Forum (SIF) today demanded constitution of Welfare and Relief Commission/Development Board for displaced persons of PoJK 1947.
The demand was made in a meeting of its Core Committee via video conferencing held under the chairmanship of Adv.Amrik Singh which was also addressed by Surjit Singh its general secretary. The meeting made appeals to Lt. Governor of UT and Central Government in this regard.
The Forum said that since October 22, 1947 Pak aggression on J&K through Poonch, Muzaffrabad and Mirpur people fled to safer zone of Jammu after over 10,000 innocent people attained martyrdom and left behind their moveable and immoveable properties at PoJK and took shelter in camps at Jammu, H.P and Uttar Pradesh.
It said many people settled outside of J&K were given ex -gratia and allotted agriculture land but then State Government constituted Provincial Rehabilitation Organisation to deal with the PoJK Sharnarthees issues in the year 1950 and the same was banned in 1982 and thereafter J&K Government created a Rehabilitation Cell in 1984 to deal with the settlement procedure of DPS of 1947 which is now under the charge of Custodian Evacuees Property but it was a temporary arrangement and this department is defunct only taking care of the properties of people left to Pakistan in 1947.
As no separate office is in operational to deal with PoJK issue of settlement and since 1950 DPs of 1947 are persistently struggling for their permanent settlement but no Government either J&K or at Centre is ready to mitigate their genuine issues till date. These refugees putting up in J&K were neither given relief and nor rehabilitation package. Besides proper attention was given to their basic amenities and all the issues are remained unresolved.
The Forum said for the last 73 years all the PoJK DPS organisations submitted their memorandums to various State and Central Governments for sincerely consideration of demands but no proper attention was given so far.
The Forum further said that the representatives of DPs of 1947 have also demanded Stastical data base be taken on their economic needs, social needs, employment needs and other day to day issues besides constitution of Development Board .
That Forum recalled that various commissions constituted on these refugees have recommended constitution of Board but to no avail.
The Forum appealed to the Lt. Governor UT, G.C.Murmu to take personal initiative in this regard.
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