Migrants of Jammu region allege bias

Ranjit Thakur

Doda, December 21

Migrants of the Jammu province have alleged they are being discriminated against as they are not getting the benefits and status on a par with the migrants of the Kashmir valley.

A delegation of the migrants of the Jammu province led by Surjeet Rana met Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Doda, Shakti Raj Parihar and apprised him of the problems being faced by the migrants.

“In spite of the ruling made by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and the Supreme Court to provide relief to the migrants of Jammu province on a par with the Kashmiri migrants, the state and the Central governments have not implemented the courts orders,” Rana said.

“We have urged the Doda MLA to take the matter with the higher-ups as the migrants mostly belong to Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts who left their homes during the peak of militancy, but they have been given a step-motherly treated by successive regimes,” he added.

There are 1,054 registered migrant families in the Jammu province who get limited government benefits. More than 520 families mostly belonging to Doda have yet not been registered despite verification and paperwork by the authorities.

Rana added: “We demand that the pending arrears be released as per the November 18, 2015, order of the Central government. We also want 10 litres of kerosene, Rs 300 per month to those families which have cattle, new data forms and timely ration.”

Doda MLA Shakti Raj Parihar said: “I have taken up their issue with Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Syed Basharat Bukhari during a meeting with him. He has ordered the authorities concerned to take up their matter at the earliest.”