Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

Official apathy forces migration to PoK?

By Luv Puri

Migrants packed in a single room in a Jammu camp.

NOWSHERA (Rajouri) JUNE 28. The plight of the migrants from the forward areas close to the 260-km-long Line of Control in Jammu region is in many ways worse than that of those from the International Border. Unlike the reasonably well-to-do migrants (Basmati growers) along the areas close to the International Border, most of the families near the LoC used to lead a hand-to-mouth existence. They were the worst-hit when the shelling was at its peak as they could not be evacuated in time and the relief reached them late.

In Poonch sector alone, of the 3,452 families 1,354 migrated from the forward areas in Mendhar tehsil. The villages from where mass migration took place included Jlas, Nakar Kote, Noorkote, Karmal, Klas, Dagwar, Maldani, Dara Dodi, Bagh-e-Digwar, Teran, Sokar, Kirni, Gulpur, Keri Dharmas, Keri Salohtra in Poonch. In Rajouri district, 360 families migrated from the border villages of Nowshera and Lam sector.

The five-member Parliamentary Defence Committee, which came to Jammu region conspicuously skipped Rajouri and Poonch districts, the worst-hit in terms of migration.

Nasim Choudhary, a migrant from Laam area says, "we did receive Rs. 5,000 from the State Government. But the cheques bounced."

The insensitivity to the plight of the migrants in the areas close to the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch has reportedly forced several Muslim families to cross over to PoK. The AICC secretary, Satyajit Gaekwad, who was on a visit to the forward areas, described it as "total failure and collapse" of the official relief measures.

The largest "migration to PoK" — around 350 families — has taken place in Mankote tehsil of Mendhar sector. As a sarpanch from Mankote tehsil put it, "we have been waiting for relief in vain. Because of the inadequate relief, people are crossing over."

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