Another tragedy has occurred, this time in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, where seven Jammu and Kashmir residents were killed at construction site and several others were injured. It is a very sad and distressing moment for the families of the deceased, and the district administration is assisting in getting the bodies and has ensured all possible help. This is another incident in the last few days that has highlighted an unknown fact: that youth from Jammu Division are going to faraway places to earn a living as labourers. This is shocking in the sense that, with so much infrastructure development going on in our own Jammu Division, our youth cannot even be assigned as day labourers. Time and again, objections are raised about denying job opportunities to local youth for regional projects, but no efforts have been made to address the issue. Youth from far-flung areas are deprived of any means to earn an honourable livelihood near their native places. It is time for the local administration to step in and establish a proper coordination structure to assist these local youth in finding easy employment in major projects in Jammu and Kashmir. The district administration, on its part, can set up enrolment desks for all these, establish links with project companies and contractors, and ensure all these deserving locals get a chance at livelihood. A proper insurance policy must also be in place to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of their dependents. Because all of these families come from low-income families, proper compensation must be provided. A healing touch at this juncture is the need of the hour, and administration should also come forward to help out the families.
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