J-K admin to restore lost properties of Kashmiri migrants, ‘heal old wounds’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 7

Nearly three decades after terrorism forced Kashmiri Hindus into exile, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday moved to restore their lost properties in a timely manner.

J&K LG Manoj Sinha launched an online portal today where Kashmiri migrants can file complaints with regard to their properties in Kashmir.

In the pilot phase of the project, the administration has already received 834 complaints with Sinha noting that the development would go a long way in “healing wounds and correcting mistakes of the past.”

In another development aimed at honouring the legacy of Kashmiri Pandits, the administration has decided to name a road and a college in the heart of Srinagar after two prominent Kashmiri Hindus, who had to abandon their homes and hearths in the Valley at the height of militancy in the erstwhile state.

While a road in Srinagar will be named after prominent writer Zinda Kaul, the first Kashmiri poet to win the Sahitya Akademi Award, Government Degree College Hyderpora will be named after Motilal Keemu, another famous playwright who was awarded the Padma Shri.

The online portal for complaining about immovable properties (http://jkmigrantrelief.nic.in Relief and Rehabilitation(M) Information. With the onset of the militancy in State of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Kashmir (Division) in the year 1989-1990 a large number of people had to migrate from their ancestral places of residence which resulted in the mass exodus of Kashmiri Hindu’s along with a number of families belonging to Sikhs and Muslims.

jkmigrantrelief.nic.in will enable time-bound redressal of grievances of Kashmir migrants.

“Migrants whose properties were encroached or were forced for distress sale in the 1990s can file complaints. This initiative will put an end to the plight of the migrants including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, who have been suffering since the 1990s. I met numerous delegations from across the religion in the last 13 months and they unequivocally supported the return of migrants,” Sinha said.

He said it was the responsibility of the present leadership to rectify the mistakes of the past.

“Laying the foundation for a bright future, this is also the time to heal old wounds. I request all citizens to support the administration in this effort and set the new example of brotherhood. During the trial run period of the portal, we have received 854 grievances. It clearly shows a large number of migrant families were awaiting justice. Now, the time-bound action on complaints will not only restore the faith of people in the system but I believe thousands of families will achieve closure, justice, and regain their dignity,” he said.

LG added that the dispensation was now following late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s comprehensive and constructive programmes for social equality and harmony in Jammu and Kashmir.

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