The Hindu : Poor relief drives migrants back to forward areas

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 27, 2002

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

Poor relief drives migrants back to forward areas

By Our Staff Reporter

JAMMU JUNE 26. Due to inadequate relief, many families, which migrated due to the tensions along the International Border in the Jammu region, have been forced to return to their native villages, though the condition near the IB is far from normal. The migrants say that the relief packages of the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir Government are yet to reach them.

The shelling from Pakistan destroyed most of the houses in the Flora village. And around 225 families migrated and took refuge in the Government buildings in Suchergarh. But the inadequate and unhygienic conditions forced the villagers to risk their lives and return to the village in the forward area.

The chief of Flora, Channa Ram, said "we contacted the revenue authorities and others for the relief but got no response.

Intermittent shelling in our native areas has not stopped and the defence authorities have warned us against coming back. But we have no option."

According to Ratna Devi, a villager of Pindi — another village in the forward area — "high-level delegations have come and gone. But nothing has changed as far as the relief is concerned. My eight children are starving ... at least here, we can have an assured supply of water."

The farmers in the areas along the IB have been awaiting their compensation for more than six months. The five-member Parliamentary Defence Committee, headed by the BJP leader, Madan Lal Khurana, which toured the region recently, asked the civil administration and military officials to submit details regarding the actual loss suffered by the farmers. But the State Government sources told The Hindu that the exercise would take at least a month.

Meanwhile, to protest the inadequate relief, migrants numbering at least 3,000 took to the streets and staged a demonstration at Khour area of the Akhnoor sector.

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Poor relief drives migrants back to forward areas