Neeraj Rohmetra
Jammu, Mar 31: Even four months after the Congress – National Conference (NC) coalition Government finalised the draft package worth Rs 7000 crores for one-time settlement of all refugees, there is no forward movement on the proposal.
The state of affairs can be gauged from the fact that the package has failed to make its way to the State Cabinet for approval, which according to the earlier proposal, had to recommend the same to Government of India (GoI) for funding.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that few months back the Revenue Department had even forwarded the formal proposal to General Administration Department (GAD), but the latter had raised certain queries. “The proposal was again re-submitted to the GAD with the relevant information, so that it could be placed before the Cabinet”, sources said.
“However, under instructions from higher-ups, the proposal was subsequently forwarded to the Cabinet Sub-Committee, which had been formulated to study the recommendations made by Justice Sagheer Ahmed Working Group”.
Sources said, “the package draft was submitted to the Committee, headed by Finance Minister as it was also studying the recommendations of the Wadhwa Committee Report, which had done detailed study over the status of refugees and made some specific recommendations also”.
“Though, some officials of Revenue Department had contended that a separate Cabinet Sub-Committee be constituted to deal with the issue of refugees, the suggestion didn’t find flavour with the State Government”, sources pointed out adding, “with the result, there is no word over the fate of the package”. The CSC, which is to study the recommendations made by the Justice (Retired) Sagheer Working Group hasn’t met since the past 17 months and its term had also come to an end in February, this year.
Political observers said, “the State Government could have recommended the entire package to the Union Government for funding, but it deliberately chose not to do so. By recommending the proposal for one-time settlement to CSC, the Government has sealed the fate of this package.”
The one-time settlement package had dealt with most of the demands of refugees like reservation in professional colleges, compensation against land deficiency as per market value, conferring of ownership rights/tenancy rights on land allotted to Chhamb refugees, disposal of pending applications for compensation etc. have been incorporated in the package”, sources added.
According to the sources privy to the package, the Revenue Department had proposed payment of Rs 25 lakh per family as one time settlement in favour of 5764 families of West Pakistan Refugees Similarly, it had proposed Rs 20 lakh for each family of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Chhamb refugees of 1965 and 1971, who have been settled in urban areas.
As far as PoK and Chhamb refugees settled in rural areas are concerned, the Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Department had proposed Rs 15 lakh compensation as one time settlement. “The department had also suggested to make necessary amendments in the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1971, which will facilitate the Government to confer ownership and tenancy rights to the Chhamb refugees, who have been allotted land on the same pattern as has been conferred to PoK 1947 refugees. However, this dispensation was to be applicable to only those families who are permanent residents of J&K State”, sources added.
It had also been suggested that necessary recommendations be made to the Government of India for providing of reservation in professional colleges outside J&K State for the children of refugees of PoK, 1947, Chhamb and West Pakistan. The proposal had recommended that Government of India should be approached for providing reservation of jobs in paramilitary forces and army for the children of such refugee families, sources added.
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