Punjab reverses decision on evacuation of border villages
Chandigarh, October 7
The Union Government on Friday revoked its decision that led to the mass evacuation of villages in a 10-km belt along Punjab's border with Pakistan.
Following this, the Punjab Government has issued directions to allow the return of the people to their homes in the border villages in all six districts. The villagers will be allowed to return after nine days.
The evacuation was ordered on September 29 following the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC).
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the state Home Minister, said that the decision to reverse the evacuation of border villages was taken at a meeting of Chief Ministers of western border states with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer, where the situation along the border with Pakistan was reviewed.
Badal has informed Punjab Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal about the decision and Deputy Commissioners of all six districts were asked to take immediate steps to ensure smooth return of the people affected.
Badal said that he had asked the Union Home Minister to allow Punjab to raise five armed battalions to act like a second line of defence behind the Border Security Force (BSF), which mans the border.
The Punjab Government has already identified 75 points where checkpoints were needed, he said.
The state government, following directions from the Union Home Ministry, had on September 29 ordered evacuation of people to safer areas from within the 10-km belt of its 553-km international border with Pakistan.
Over four lakh (400,000) people in nearly 1,000 villages in six border districts of Fazilka, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot were affected due to the evacuation.
Many families and people had refused to move out saying that they had to tend to their crops, cattle and properties.
The Punjab Government and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine were criticised by opposition parties for overreacting.
The Union Government had, on October 2, allowed border farmers to harvest their paddy crop following growing resentment among farmers.
Schools in the border belt, which were closed since September 29, were also asked to reopen from October 5.
Evacuated villagers accused local authorities of mismanaging evacuation camps.
The evacuation move followed apprehensions that Pakistan could retaliate after the cross-LoC strikes. — IANS
