Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Mar 6: Stressing for realistic measures for return and rehabilitation of migrants, the former Union Minister, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta has voiced his serious concern over the reports that some more migration is taking place and that too of Kashmiri Muslims. All this needed a deep look and early steps to check the wrought, he emphasized.
Talking to a group of Kashmiri migrants, Prof. Gupta said that it was a big tragedy that the native of the Valley were forced out by the zealots operating under cross border bigotry. But it is also intriguing that migrants were not returned and rehabilitated despite liberal grants by the Centre during all these years. The problem getting lingering on is making the matter complex with the number of migrant families going on increasing.
The migrant families registered in and outside the State have gone up to over 62000 including about 42000 in Jammu. They also include about 2200 Muslim families. And there are reports that more Muslim families are under process of registration. In 1996, the number of migrant families in Jammu was about 27000. They were mostly Hindus and Sikhs, there were not much Muslims.
The activists felt that encouraging of more migration is a part of conspiracy to forestall the return and rehabilitation plans of the Centre.
Prof Gupta observed that effective steps were needed to frustrate the designs of those who are making life difficult of peace loving people in the Valley of Kashmir under the mysterious slogans of Azadi. But in practical they are shelving the Azadi of innocent masses, he added.
Prof. Gupta also stressed for early steps for return and rehabilitation of migrants of Jammu areas to their respective districts. The lingering of the problems he said would lead no where except that of wasteful expenditure and more and more complexities. During the period of past over quarter a century more than Rs Ten Thousand Crores have been spent on relief and rehabilitation measures but with little tangible results.
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