Rana visits PoK Displaced Persons’ chain dharna, assures NC support to their demands

Devender Singh Rana at chain dharna by PoK Displaced Persons at Bakshi Nagar on Tuesday.
Devender Singh Rana at chain dharna by PoK Displaced Persons at Bakshi Nagar on Tuesday.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 1: On 6th consecutive day of the ongoing indefinite dharna by SOS International – An organization for PoK Displaced Persons at Bakshi Nagar Jammu, National Conference Provincial president Devender Singh Rana today visited the protesting DPs and extended his party support to them.
The protesting DPs are demanding implementation the whole package passed by State Cabinet in October 2014 for PoK Displaced Persons, facilities to all displaced at par with Valley Migrants, reservation of 8 Assembly seats for people displaced from PoK, permission to PoK DPs to visit to their religious places in PoK, inclusion of 5, 300 PoK DP families living outside the State in the ambit of package passed in October 2014 and return of cash deposits with interest to PoK DPs lying with J&K Bank Mirpur.
Rajiv Chuni, Chairman SOS International, presented a memorandum of demands to Devender Singh Rana who said that all the demands of PoK DPs were legitimate and should be fulfilled by present dispensation.
Rana urged the Governor’s Administration to revisit and review the one-time settlement for displaced persons of PoK by invoking the recommendations of Omar Abdullah led Government, which envisaged Rs 25 lakhs per family instead of the announced Rs 5.50 lakhs.
“The NC led Government’s recommendation of a package for the PoK refugees of 1947, 1965 and 1971 was around Rs 9025 crore but on the contrary the Centre announced a package of Rs 2,000 crore which too is not implemented in letter and spirit”, Rana said and assured that NC will push for the original package strongly and seek justice for the DPs, who have undergone enormous miseries.
He recalled the initiatives taken during the tenure of Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister for welfare of the PoK displaced persons, which was evident from the fact that he took the issue with the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh personally. Thereafter also, he added, the issue was taken up with the Governor from time to time, as it pertained to the welfare of a large number of displaced families.
Rana was accompanied by NC State Secretary Rattan Lal Gupta, Co-Chairman OBC Cell Abdul Gani Teli and Co-Chairman SC Cell Vijay Lochan.
Today’s chain dharna was led by Arun Kumar, accompanied by Pardeep Gupta, Mohan Lal, Pardeep Sabharwal, Santokh Ram and Suresh Sadotra.

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