Under recurring protests by the refugees in Jammu, the NC-Congress Coalition Government accepted in principle that one-time settlement package for both categories of refugees should be a final solution to the long pending question. There are refugees who had to flee to Jammu after the occupation of a part of the State called PoK by Pakistani forces in 1947, and there are also refugees who migrated from Chhamb-Jaurian as a result of the wars of 1971 and 1975. The 7,000 crore rupees one-time settlement package, though accepted in principle by the Coalition Government, never saw the light of the day as the case has been kept shuttling between GAD, Revenue Department and Cabinet Sub Committee handling Justice (Retd) Sagheer Committee recommendations. Though the Revenue Department is reported to have made some solid recommendations but other agencies concerned with the issue feel no urgency to take a decision. The result is that the case has got stuck up with the Cabinet Sub-Committee which has not met for last 17 months to discuss the package. And for the hapless refugees, who have been living in a State of homelessness for so many decades, there is still no hope of permanent rehabilitation.
At the same time, there is hardly any progress in fulfilling other promises that were made to the refugees like reservation in professional colleges, recruitment of refugee youth in State services and conferring of ownership of land on those who are already in occupation of it and other related matters. The refugees are feeling betrayed and sidelined. This situation should come to an end as early as possible and the State Government needs to finalize its recommendations and forward the case to the centre for final acceptance of the relief package.
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