Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 20: Former minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today alleged that the border dwellers have been totally ignored by the BJP Government at the Centre and `BJP-PDP’ combine in the State due to which alienation is growing in their minds and hearts.
Addressing a public meeting at Channi Rama in Gandhi Nagar constituency, Bhalla strongly condemned frequent border ceasefire violations by Pakistan and asked the Centre and State Governments to wake up from deep slumber and solve the most sensitive problems of the border IB and LoC dwellers.
The Congress leader said that Centre and State Governments have miserably failed to fulfill their promise of providing five marlas of plot at safer places to each family on the IB and LoC and soft bank loan for construction of houses. The former Minister asked the Government to allot five marlas of plot and soft loan to the border dwellers immediately.
He further said the long pending promise of Centre and State Governments to construct community bunkers and individual bunkers have also become a day dream as Government has totally failed to solve this sensitive issue of the border dwellers.
Bhalla emphasized the need of increasing ex-gratia from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per victim to the next of kin and also a Government job. “The border dwellers are very brave people. They need to be properly looked after and encouraged. Since the coming of BJP Government, they are facing border problems”, he added.
The Congress leader demanded adequate relief to the injured and also full cost of livestock as relief be given as livestock is the source of income of the border dwellers and cost of livestock has gone very high. The former minister also demanded that the Government should prepare/construct the damaged houses due to shelling. He also demanded special recruitment drive for border youth in Police, Army, BSF, CRPF etc.
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