* Some announcements for border dwellers likely
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 9: State Cabinet, which is meeting tomorrow at summer capital of the State, will accord approval to submission of memorandum regarding Rs one lakh crore losses suffered due to the recent floods to the Union Government for liberal financial assistance. Moreover, the Cabinet would discuss the prevailing situation along the borders with Pakistan and consider allotment of plots to the border dwellers in safer zones besides making announcement about providing reservation to them in Government jobs and professional colleges.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that State Cabinet is meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah tomorrow at 4 pm to discuss two major issues presently confronting the State— situation having erupted due to devastating floods of early last month and ongoing shelling along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu region, which has led to many deaths and injuries to the border dwellers besides causing migration.
This would be the first Cabinet meeting ever since the flash floods caused massive death and destruction across the State in the first week of last month.
The Cabinet would deliberate upon the memorandum prepared by the official machinery after assessing losses suffered in different sectors during the flash floods and accord approval to the submission of the same to the Union Government for assistance. “Since losses to the tune of Rs one lakh crore have been suffered by the State, it is not possible to provide succor to the affected population and rebuild the damaged infrastructure without liberal help from the Government of India”, sources said.
The State Government has pegged the losses to the Government infrastructure, crops and structures including residential houses at Rs 35,000 crore and loss to the business establishments and tourism sector at Rs 65,000 crore. The devastating floods have affected 12.50 lakh families across the State.
The Cabinet would also ascertain the progress made in providing relief to the floods affected population and restoration of normal life particularly in the worst affected areas, they said.
The ongoing shelling from across the border by Pakistan all along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu would also come up for detailed discussion in the Cabinet as the prevailing situation has led to migration of thousands of families from the border areas.
The Cabinet would consider the long pending demand regarding allotment of plots to the border dwellers in safer zones so as to protect their lives from the firing and shelling from across the border, sources said. This issue was poised to be discussed in the Cabinet meeting slated to be held on September 4 but due to flash floods the entire focus of the Government got shifted to relief and rescue operation as such no progress could be made thereafter.
The Coalition partners-National Conference and Congress have already agreed to consider this long pending demand of border people and Coordination Committee which met early last month had urged the Government to identify areas within five kilometers of the International Border and Line of Control for allotment to the border people.
Even Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah during his visit to some camps where border dwellers have been temporarily kept by the administration in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in view of the continuous firing and shelling from across the border, faced queries from the people in this regard and he assured that issue of providing plots in safer zones would be discussed in Cabinet.
All the Congress Ministers from Jammu have also decided to vociferously raise this issue and try to ensure that Cabinet arrives at any conclusion on this long pending demand of the border dwellers, sources said.
“The Cabinet is also likely to announce reservation for the border dwellers in Government jobs and professional colleges on the analogy of people living along the Line of Control”, they said while disclosing that Chief Minister gave enough hints in this regard while interacting with border migrants today.
Decision regarding holding of special recruitment drives for the border people in State Police would also be taken during the Cabinet, sources said while disclosing that Chief Minister has also made announcement in this regard before the migrants today.
Chief Minister has assured the border people that not only drives for recruitment of border people in State Police would be conducted, he would write to the Union Government for such drives for the border people by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other paramilitary forces.
“He assured the people that such drives would be conducted soon after the improvement in situation”, sources said, adding “Mr Omar further conveyed to the people that he would ensure recruitment of about 2000 youth by conducting such drives”.
It is pertinent to mention here that in a major relief for the border firing victims, the Chief Minister during his visit to border areas on September 3 had announced that border firing victims would be treated at par with the militancy victims and for the purpose SRO-43 would be amended at the earliest.
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