*DyCM, Bhalla, Sham stage walkout
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 16: State Cabinet today witnessed clash between Congress and National Conference Ministers over one time full and final settlement of the claims of the refugees with Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Housing and Minister for PHE staging walkout over discriminatory attitude of their Ministerial colleagues from the alliance partner.
Due to the protest by the Congress Ministers, the Cabinet meeting remained suspended for nearly one hour. It was only on the intervention of the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah that the issue was resolved and the Cabinet in principle agreed to clear the rehabilitation package prepared by the Revenue Department in the next meeting after placing it on top priority.
Sources told EXCELSIOR that as soon as the memorandum of the Revenue Department regarding rehabilitation package for one time full and final settlement of the claims of PoK Displaced Persons of 1947 and Chhamb Displaced Persons of 1965/1971 came up for discussion, National Conference Ministers-Abdul Rahim Rather and Ali Mohammad Sagar objected to the same.
“Since the proposal was submitted shortly before the start of the Cabinet meeting, we have not gone through its intricacies. Moreover, this is a sensitive issue and needs to be cleared after thorough discussion”, sources said quoting National Conference Ministers’ observations made in the Cabinet.
Smelling conspiracy aimed at scuttling the rehabilitation package, Minister for Housing and Horticulture, Raman Bhalla objected to the stand taken by the National Conference Ministers and remarked, “this memorandum has been placed as per the previous decision of the Cabinet and we would not allow lingering of decision any more”.
On this, the NC Minister said, “this issue is pending during the past 65 years and why you are in hurry to resolve it now”. This infuriated Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma, who remarked, “I have failed to understand why you are creating hurdles in providing justice to those people, who have been meted injustice during these years”.
“Moreover, when West Pakistan Refugees have already been segregated from the proposal and would be discussed separately what sensitivity you are talking about”, he said, adding “the PoK and Chhamb Displaced Persons are the bonafide citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and they cannot be denied justice anymore”.
As there was no positive response from the Cabinet, Mr Bhalla stood up in protest and walked out of the meeting. Mr Sham, who was having verbal spat with the NC Ministers, too left the meeting along with the Deputy Chief Minister after making it clear that issue of refugees was more important for them than routine Cabinet agenda.
Due to their walkout, Cabinet meeting remained suspended for nearly one hour. As routine agenda and transfers of Deputy Commissioners could not be taken up due to the walkout, Chief Minister deputed Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister for Tourism, G A Mir and Minister for Higher Education, Mohammad Akbar Lone for convincing Congress Ministers to take part in the Cabinet meeting, sources said.
Later, Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for PHE and Minister for Housing took part in the meeting only after the Cabinet in principle agreed to clear the proposal in its next meeting after placing it on top priority. “The rehabilitation package would be approved in next Cabinet meeting and Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has also given positive response in this direction”, sources said.
Following this, Cabinet took up routine agenda and cleared the same.
According to the sources, the Revenue Department has proposed payment of ex-gratia compensation in favour of PoK DP families and Chhamb DPs of 1965 and 1971 at the rate of Rs 25 lakh per family against the losses suffered by them on account of immovable and moveable properties left out in Pakistan.
It has also been proposed that recommendations be made to the Government of India for providing job reservation in paramilitary forces/army and other Central Government services and reservation in professional colleges outside the State for the children of PoK and Chhamb refugees and inclusion of left out families for providing incentives.
It is pertinent to mention here that during last Cabinet meeting held on July 2, 2014, Congress Ministers had lodged strong protest over discrimination with the PoK and Chhamb refugees and it was only on Congress protest that Cabinet had directed the Revenue Department for moving fresh proposal on package for these refugees.
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