Migrants

April 10, 2003                                                            M A I N   N E W S

Jammu migrants twice cursed
First bullets, now government apathy
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 9
About 400 families of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh migrants from terrorism-hit districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Doda in Jammu division are living in a miserable condition on the banks of the Tawi at Belicharana here.

They migrated here about four years ago when terrorists indulged in a large-scale massacre of innocent persons in these districts. However, no government has so far paid a penny as compensation to these migrants.

Most of them are earning their livelihood by working as labourers. The women collect sand and other construction material from the Tawi to make both ends meet.

These migrants are sore that the focus of the government and the media are on the Kashmiri Pandit migrants who have also shifted here under the same circumstances. They allege that the government is discriminating against them because they belong to Jammu division.

They were not even being registered as terrorism-related migrants by the relief and rehabilitation organisation which acted promptly when the exodus took place from the valley.

Amar Nath Sharma, who is the president of the union which has been formed by the migrants of Rajouri and Poonch, said they were living in shanties on the river bank without any electricity or drinking water facility, whereas crores of rupees were being spent on the civic amenities of the Kashmiri migrants. He said the migrants of Rajouri and Poonch have been running from pillar to post for relief and rehabilitation, but their pleadings have fallen on deaf ears.

He said a couple of migrants have died because of snake bites as these reptiles move around in the area even during the day time. Not even a single hand pump has been installed for them and they have to drink the contaminated water of the Tawi. Two handpumps have been installed near the shanties where the migrants from the Doda district are putting up. There is even no school for the children from these three districts. The management of the Khalsa High School in the city adopted certain children, but no help came from the government.

Mr Sharma demanded that the migrants from the three districts should be treated at par with those from the Kashmir valley who were being given cash doles, free ration and other facilities. The government has built pucca rooms for them with electricity and water connections. Community halls and schools have also been opened in the camps of Kashmiri migrants.

He said during the National Conference regime, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and the present Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, have said that they will be treated at par with other migrants, but nothing has been done so far.

Ghulam Qadir, a migrant from Darhal, said he fled from his village along with his wife and three children out of fear when terrorists started indulging in bloodshed in the area every day.

He lamented that Central Ministers and leaders of the state visit only the camps of the migrants from the valley and there was no one to take care of them.

He said the government had so far failed to implement the orders of the Supreme Court which had directed that all migrants should be treated at par. The Panthers Party leader, Mr Bhim Singh, had filed a petition in the court for this purpose. Begum Jehan and Sabuja had similar tales of woes as they cooked food outside their shanties.

They said they would not return to their village until the situation normalised. They were not willing to return even if the authorities provided police security in their village. They said terrorists had been striking despite the presence of the security forces in Indh, Pulwama and scores of places in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda.

Javed Iqbal Khan, a migrant from Gandoh in Doda district, said only 83 of the nearly 250 families from the area were being provided ration by the government.

The migrants residing at Belicharana pointed out that cash doles amounting Rs 3.36 crore were being paid to Kashmiri migrants every month, besides a free ration worth Rs 65.40 lakh. The Central Home Ministry was also providing funds for improvement of facilities in their camps.