Jammu fears Valley will get lion’s share in package

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 16

The Government of India’s announcement of an additional relief package of Rs 500 crore and Rs 1,000 crore for restoration of damaged structures in the state has failed to enthuse flood victims in Jammu province.

The people here believe that the additional package will go to Kashmir and flood-affected people in the region would get nothing given the “appeasement policy” of the state as well as the Central government towards the Valley.

“With full confidence, we can say that the additional relief sanctioned by the Centre will be distributed in the Kashmir valley only,” said Ramesh Singh, sarpanch, panchayat halqa Panjar in Udhampur district.

“Nine and half months have passed since the tragedy struck the Saddal village. All the houses and agricultural land were swept away by the massive landslide. It also claimed lives of 40 persons. But we have been waiting for adequate compensation till date,” said the sarpanch.

Affected people have received nothing except false promises, he said, adding that Member of Parliament Jitendra Singh, who is also a Union Minister, visited the village about two months ago and announced Rs 13 lakh for a vocational training centre, but the project has remained restricted to the papers so far.

“We overwhelmingly voted for the BJP with a hope that ‘aache din (good days)’ will come, but the saffron party only made promises. The execution of plans remains dismal. The people, whose houses were completely damaged in the tragedy, are yet to be paid compensation which is highly disgusting,” he said.

In September 2014, floods and landslides triggered by incessant rains had caused colossal damage to human life and public property in the Jammu region.

Nearly 85,000 houses and others structures had suffered damages in 10 districts of Jammu province. As many as 2.64 families were affected due to floods, rains and landslides.

“We have always been discriminated against by the state and the Central governments. We know the fate of this additional package also. It will go to Kashmir and flood-affected people of the Jammu region will be left high and dry,” said Farooq Inqlabi, chairman, J&K Democratic Development Front, a non-political organisation.

“Recently, I took Additional Deputy Commissioner to our village at Kewal in the Budhal area of Rajouri to have an assessment of the damage; nearly 15 families are yet to receive even a single penny from the administration. However, the influential people, who had suffered no damage were compensated under a fraud,” alleged Inqlabi.