Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 31: A three-member delegation of DPs of 1947 led by Gurdev Singh, president Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) along with Netar Parkash and Dwarka Nath called upon Dr Arun K. Mehta, Chief Secretary UT of J&K and conveyed him the resentment shown by thousands of DPs families of 1947, 65 and 71 left-out of the scheme due to the issuance of order with regard to closure of the ex-gratia relief scheme.
The order is illogical and arbitrary. The delegation regretted that it is highly unfortunate that the scheme has been closed without taking the feedback from all the concerned quarters and concerned sub-ordinate office of the Government itself.
Singh apprised Mehta that ex-gratia relief of Rs 5.5 lakhs was provided to 36,384 DP families including 26,319 families from POK settled in UT of J&K and 10,065 families of 1965 and 1971 from Chammb sector. He was told that relief has only been disbursed to approximately 20,000 families of 1947 and cases of over 1,000 families including the disputed cases are under process. About 5,000 families of 1947 are still left out of the package for want of mandatory records essentially required to identify the status of a DP.
He claimed that over 3,000 families of 1965 and 1971 of Chamb DPs have also been deprived of the relief package due to closure of the scheme and their case could not be processed in time due to the insensitive and indifferent attitude of DC offices staff. He was told that, due to spread of pandemic DPs being scattered and residing in far flung areas could not trace their records and the process also got delayed.
Mehta listened the delegation very patiently and assured to take up the issue with Central Govt for the extension of the scheme.