Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 7: Protest demonstrations marked the meetings of various delegations of refugees and Kashmiri migrants with visiting Parliamentary Sub Committee on its concluding day of three days tour to the strife-torn State to assess the problems of hapless refugees here.
The Sub Committee headed by its chairman and BJP MP Rajiv Partap Rudy during its hectic schedule on the last day of their tour today met with the representatives of over two dozen organizations of West Pak, PoJK and Chhamb refugees, terrorist victims of Jammu region represented by Tehrik Insaf and Kashmiri migrants to assess their problems.
The other members of the Committee included Naveen Jindal, co-chairman, Raman Deka, Neeraj Shekhar, Sanjus Kujar, Navneet Singh, E T Muhammad Basheer and Shafiqur Rehman Burq, all MPs. MPs from Jammu Ch. Lal Singh and Madan Lal Sharma were also present in the meeting.
However, there were protests by some refugees organizations in the early morning against the administration and the Sub Committee for not giving enough time to them to meet the members of Parliamentary Sub Committee.
As they continued shouting slogans, Mr Rudy came out of the meeting hall in Guest House and pacified them saying that they were already given ample time. Mr Rudy said the people protesting outside discussed the demands for 20 minutes and it is not practicable to allot more time to them.
This was followed by another protest by Civil Rights Forum led by BJP leaders Chander Mohan Sharma and Ramesh Arora. They shouted slogans against the administration for not allowing them to submit the memorandum to the Sub Committee and tore the copies of the memorandum in protest in front of the Guest House.
Another protest was held by displaced Kashmiri migrants who through a consensus had decided that Community will give a united face and former Chief Secretary and MLC Vijay Bakaya will submit all memorandums of displaced KP organizations to the Committee. As Mr Bakaya along with Dr R L Bhat of Jammu Kashmir Vichar Manch (JKVM) and ex MLC Bushan Lal Bhat tried to enter the hall in Circuit House, he was stopped by police officers deployed there.
This evoked a strong protest by Kashmiri migrants and activists and leaders of all organizations rushed towards Circuit House and protested there. Shouting slogans against the administration, they warned to boycott the Committee also.
However, later the protesting migrants were pacified and the members of Sub Committee came out side and held a detailed meeting with the Kashmiri Pandit representatives and listened to their problems.
Earlier the representatives of various refugee organizations, JK Sikh Council and Kashmiri migrants accused the administration of arranging the meeting of political leaders with the Parliamentary Sub Committee instead of refugees. “The Committee had come to listen the woes of the refugees and not the political leaders of the State”, said a representative of J&K Sikh Council.
All Political Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) delegation led by Vinod Pandit also boycotted the delegation in protest and did not submit its memorandum which among other thins had stressed on holding a probe into multi crore temple and shrine land scam in Kashmir Valley.
The Parliamentary Sub Committee members assured the State BJP Sharnarthi Cell delegation led by Pt Ashok Kumar Khajuria its Prabhari that the PoK refugees will be designated as PoJK refugees hence forth on the consistent demand of the refugees.
The Cell submitted a memorandum to Sub Committee highlighting various issues of Sharnarthis of 1947 and sought immediate redressal of the same.
The Sub Committee assured the West Pak refugees, PoJK and Chhamb refugees to take up their issues with the Home Ministry for their permanent solution. Expressing their concern over the plight of these refugees they assured that they will vociferously raise the issue in the appropriate forum and convince the Central Government for resolving their long standing demands.
The Committee urged the State Government to take concrete steps to implement the Prime Minister’s package for rehabilitation and welfare of the Kashmiri migrants in the State. It also urged the Government to pay special attention to improve the basic conditions of the migrants in camps highlighted by the representatives of migrants before Sub Committee.
Mr Rudy said the Committee has been mandated to assess the ground situation with regard to the package for rehabilitation of migrants, adding that the input gathered by the Committee would be incorporated in the report to be submitted to the Parliament so that the shortfalls, if any to improve the conditions of the migrants are overcome.
While expressing sympathies with the inmates of camps, he assured them that the Committee will recommend everything possible for improving their living conditions and other welfare.
SOS International delegation led by Rajiv Chuni which called on the Sub Committee members early this morning submitted a memorandum to it on sad plight of displaced people from PoK.
The memorandum demanded constitution of PoK DPs Development Board, according of refugee status to PoK refugees, reservations in professional institutions to their wards throughout India, compensation for left over properties of PoK refugees in PoK and abolition of categorization of PoK refugees.
JK PoK Refugees Front 1947, 1965, 1971 led by Rachpal Singh also submitted the memorandum to the Committee highlighting the problems. It among other things demanded enlisting of families displaced in 1947, 1965 and 1971 from Pakistan and West Pakistan, identify problems of displaced persons and implementation of the Committee’s report of 2007.
Ex Minister and Refugee leader Manjit Singh also led a team of displaced persons of PoK 1947 and DPs of Chhamb 1965 &1971 and submitted a memorandum to the Committee. It demanded compensation for properties left by these refugees in PoK, conferment of occupancy / tendency rights under Section 3 A of Agrarian Reforms Act, sanction of compensation in lieu of land deficiency in respect of displaced persons of 1947, 1965 and 1971, reservation quota for them and launching of special recruitment drive for these displaced people.
Another delegation of J&K Congress Committee led by MP Madan Lal Sharma and other senior Congress leaders including MLC and Party spokesman Ravinder Sharma, Pradhuman Singh, Manmohan Singh etc met Sub Committee members and apprised them of various issues pertaining to different categories of refugees and displaced persons of 1947, 1965 and 1971 wars as well as Kashmiri migrants. It also discussed the problems of West Pak refugees and stressed on their permanent settlement.
Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee led by Gurdev Singh Panchi met the Committee members and submitted a memorandum to them. It while apprising them of deteriorating plight of the refugees of 1947 from PoK said since then they are clamoring for justice. It among other things demanded a compensation of Rs 30 lakh per family.
PoJK Refugees Sangarsh Morcha led by Dr Narinder Singh submitted a memorandum to the Sub Committee members and demanded that a Nodal Agency be appointed to look into the problems of refugees on the pattern of Relief Organisation set up for Kashmiri migrants. It demanded the Divisional Commissioner Jammu be appointed as Nodal Officer. It also demanded eight seats be at least filled up by the representatives of refugees in Assembly out of 24 seats kept vacant for PoK in the House.
The West Pak refugees delegation which called on the Committee was led by Laba Ram Gandhi. It also submitted a detailed memorandum to the Committee which among other things demanded citizenship rights for them which they have been denied since 1947. Besides, reservation of seats in Assembly and Council a demand for launching of a special recruitment drive for these refugees was also made by them.
BJP delegation led by its president Jugal Kishore Sharma and other leaders including Ashok Khajuria, Dr Nirmal Singh and Ch Sukhnandan demanded reservation of eight seats for PoK refugees, registration of refugees, reservation for Chhamb and other refugees, permanent settlement of Kashmiri migrants, political reservations for them, Doda migrants be given relief at par with Kashmiri migrants, and border people be allotted plots.
The delegation of Tehrik-e-Insaf led by ex MLA Farooq Khan, Bali Bhagat and Ravinder Raina demanded settlement of problems of terrorism affected people of Jammu region, sanction of relief to them at par with Kashmir migrants, setting up of a special commission to assess the losses of these people, special employment drive be launched for them, payment of interest free loans etc.
The Kashmiri migrants who jointly submitted their memorandums to the Sub Committee unanimously selected five speakers to highlight their problems before it.
Apprising the Committee members about the plight of displaced people from Valley, Vijay Bakaya, MLC stressed on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
He said that there is a wider opinion among the community that the recommendations made by the Committee are not being implemented. He expressed the hope that the recommendations made by the Committee in future will see the light of the day. He stressed on implementation of employment package in toto and creation of special measures for rehabilitation of the matriculate and over- aged youth of the community, enhancement of rehabilitation package to Rs 20 lakh per family and relief to Rs 15000 per month.
Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo who represented Joint Forum of KP organizations expressed concern over non implementation of previous recommendations of Parliamentary Committee. He said linking employment to return of the community is contradictory to policy of return and maintained that sham return will not be acceptable to the community.
He said if providing of jobs is base for return then Government has to provide seven lakh jobs to seven lakh members of community and maintained that community’s Margdarshan resolution was the only alternative to it. He urged the Sub Committee members to constitute a Committee for implementation of recommendations.
R L Bhat of JKVM expressed concern over delaying tactics adopted by Government on Temples Bill and expressed doubts about its passage in Budget Session also. Intervening Mr Rudy said it will be last session and this way the Bill will get lapse. He also stressed on implementation of recommendations of the Committee etc.
B L Bhat ex MLC alleged that Government was not sincere for return and not only militancy was cause of the migration but there were other reasons also for this.
K K Khosa stressed on hiking the relief to Rs 15000, time bound implementation of PM’s package, sanction of revised package and grant of one time compensation to over- aged youth.
R K Bhat president YAIKS warned that no employment package can be implemented till absorption of 221 community youth who had gone to court. He said that Government in principle had agreed to absorb these youth and now it was backtracking and these youth are at the verge of over age. Maintaining that the community is ready to return he stressed that the Government should take some concrete initiative in this regard.
Sheela Handoo ex Corporator expressed concern over non registration of migrant voters and demanded that the voters be registered on the basis of ration cards and they be also provided I cards on the same basis.
The Migrant organizations who submitted the memorandums included KPC, AMCCC, Kashmiri Migrant Relief holders, JTC, JCC, Voice of KPs, KPS, YAIKS, Intellectuals Forum Relief holders and over-aged youth Minority Cell NC etc.
Earlier Bharat Bushan Kaul of Shiv Sena in his memorandum submitted to the Committee demanded that declaration of distress sale as null and void on pattern of Punjab was the only alternative for making the return of displaced people to Valley possible.
Universal Foundation representatives Dineshwar Singh Jamwal and Mahesh Kaul also met the Sub Committee and submitted a detailed memorandum on the plight of West Pak refugees who have till date been denied citizenship rights. It termed it a highhandedness of the successive Governments towards these refugees. It demanded that the plight of these refugees be considered on humanitarian grounds.
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