Centre, state yet to take steps to relocate border dwellers

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Nowshera, July 23

The Central government has not yet given a go-ahead to 5-marla plots in safer areas to border residents affected by shelling as it fears the villages could become safe havens for militants.

People on the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) have been constantly living under the attack of shelling by Pakistan, but the state and Central governments are unwilling to relocate them permanently, citing security concerns.

The governments haven’t even considered providing money for constructing individual or community bunkers in villages affected by the Pakistani shelling.

The state or the Central governments have also not provided any money for running the relief camps where the displaced people are temporarily putting up.

Sources told The Tribune that the Central government was in no mood to give a go-ahead to shift the shelling-hit border dwellers to safer zones permanently and allot them 5-marla plots for construction of houses.

“The Central government doesn’t want to vacate the borders and allow militants safe havens after infiltrating into the Indian side,” said a source.

“The Centre believes that this will be a security threat to the country, so border villages cannot be vacated permanently,” the source added.

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the border villages could not be vacated. “It gives a wrong impression and sends a wrong message if border villages are vacated. We can give compensation and provide security but cannot vacate villages,” Nirmal Singh said.

After the September 18 Uri terror attack last year, the situation on the LoC has deteriorated as the Pakistan army has been resorting to heavy shelling and firing, claiming the lives of many soldiers and civilians.

Hundreds of people have been affected by intermittent shelling, forcing them to leave their homes and cattle behind and put up in relief camps in unfavourable conditions. The twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region are the worst affected areas where the level of shelling has increased manifold.

In the Nowshera sector alone, over 4,000 people are living in six relief camps established in and around the town. They are being provided ration, kerosene, firewood and other items of daily use by the district administration.

“Neither the Centre nor the state government has given a single penny to run the relief camps. We don’t have funds available for operating such camps. We are using money from our own pockets and from other heads to manage things here,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

Even the Deputy CM could not tell how much money had the state government given to run the relief camps.

“Ministers come and go but nobody has provided any relief,” the official said.

Sources said the damage caused by shelling did not fall under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and the money from the SDRF could not be used to provide relief to the shelling victims.

“Even money under the Security Related Fund head cannot be spent on shelling-affected people,” the source further said.

As the situation continues to be grim with people living in relief camps for over two months, the displaced persons are now demanding a cash relief of Rs 5,000 per family per month.

“We earn our livelihood from farming and cattle, which have suffered due to the intense shelling. Our cattle have died and we have not been able to tend to our fields in these circumstances,” said Parshottam Lal, sarpanch of Jhangar village, who along with other people is living in a relief camp established at Government Higher Secondary School (Boys), Nowshera, in Rajouri district since May 12.

“As we are living in a relief camp for over two months, we want the government to give a cash relief of Rs 5,000 to each family per month,” the sarpanch said.