PoJK DPs hold protest; demand 12 Assembly seats, pending relief

PoJK DPs staging protest demonstration near Press Club in Jammu on Monday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
PoJK DPs staging protest demonstration near Press Club in Jammu on Monday. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 25: Displaced Persons (DPs) from Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) today held strong protest demonstration and demanded pending relief package in favour of displaced families besides 12 Assembly seats.
A large number of DPs led by Capt (Retd) Yudhvir Singh Chib, under the banner of PoJK DPs Front 1947, 1965, 1971 and Non Camp-71 assembled near Press Club Jammu at 10.30 am and held strong protest demonstration. They were shouting slogans in favour of their demands and also against the J&K Relief authorities. They pointed out that after long struggle, Prime Minister Modi released Rs 2000 crore relief package in favour of POJK refugees/DPs but the authorities in J&K have failed to disburse the same to al, the families till today.
Addressing a large gathering of DPs, Capt Chib said that up to now, the Relief authorities have distributed relief to the tune of Rs 5.50 lakh/family to hardly three fourth of the families while rest of the families are have still denied justice. Many deserving families have been deprived of the benefit on different pretexts by the officers.
The DPs’ leader further pointed out that JPC had recommended Rs 30 lakh relief per family and the Government must release remaining Rs 24.5 lakhs relief per family. This Rs 5.5 lakh was just first installment of the amount declared by the Joint Parliamentary Committee.
He further demanded that DPs’ families residing in Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and elsewhere should also be considered for the relief and reservation should be given to the DPs children in education field and jobs.
The DPs leader regretted over the decision of the J&K Delimitation Commission and strongly demanded 12 Assembly seats for PoJK DPs. He also demanded implementation of JPC report on relief package, ownership rights to the Camp DPs of 1965 and 71.
Senior members JP Sharma (gen secy), Kulbir Singh Chib, Sakandya Devi, Kuldip Singh, Kehar Singh, Kamal Kumar and others also addressed the gathering.