A Look through the mist
Agonies of The 1965/1971 Refugees from Chamb and those living
on LOC/IB have not ended yet
By
Daya Sagar
All
most all people from about 12 to
14 villages of Chamb Distt Jammu ( J&K) were uprooted
in 1965 from Chamb and people
of all the villages of Chamb (about 46 to 48villages of Chamb ) were in a way asked by GOI
to vacate their homes /
lands in 1972 after Shimla agreement was
signed by India with Pakistan after 1971 Indio Pak war. As per rough
estimates and information that has been
emerging from Government sources nearly
6500 to 7000 families were uprooted / affected in 1971/1972. Of these ( 1971 War ) around 4600 families comprising of nearly 19000 souls were
accommodated in relief camps and nearly
1600 to 2000 families were treated as
Non Camp DPs 1971 The affected people say that numbers are much more.
How
much human and physical damage these people have suffered has yet to be
evaluated in a regular manner. The issues as regards the land allotment to
agricultural families and making good
the less allotment by additional lands / cash compensations as well as the demands of the urban families have not been yet disposed to the
satisfaction of these families by GOI/ State Government .
Government
must on priority draw out data on
the number of families & population in 1971 and 2013 so that
there are no confusions.
These
families were made refugees in their own contrary in view of the policy decision of GOI and
hence they deserved special rehabilitation
, employment and education packages but
no such steps were taken neither GOI nor
J&K Government .
Rather there
existed all justification to bring them
under backward class status because from 1947 to 1971 they lived in continuously
disturbed conditions due to Pakistani
violations of ceasefire along
IB/LOC and in 1971 they had been made refugees under the policy of the
Government. But no socio economic support has been given to them and hence their social/ administrative/ educational/ economic
backwardness has further grown after
1971.
As per the information available it was decided by government to provide
lands to rural agriculture families at a uniform rate of 4Acres Abi land and 6 Acres of khuski
land . What has been the basis for fixing such scale uniformly is not
known. Another question is of one time compensation for the properties
left behind by them. Even the land deficiency compensation on the basis of
scales mentioned above where ever extended has been totally unrealistic ie. far
far less than the market rates of lands .
The urban families were
not atall treated fairly. Government must make public what has been
their total number and what one time
financial assistance has
been provided to them in 1970s / what regular monthly has
been given to them.
The government has treated the Chamb refuges under two
categories ie Camp DPs and
Non Camp DPs. This classification has not been simply on the basis of
their stay after the 1972 Shimla Agreement in J&K but the classification in a way has been more
to deny even the marginal benefits and support that government claims to have given to the Camp
DPs 1971.
Government of India must make public if any
assessment been made of the properties left behind in Chamb Refugees ( Non
Camp DPs of 1971 and
Camp DPs of 1971 separately ).
In 1999 Government of India did
set up a committee head by Mr.
R.D .Kapoor Addl Secretary in MHA
for looking into the grievances
of all categories of refugees/ displaced persons in J&K .
Those the committee had rushed its exercise
and the recommendations did not
satisfy the suffering people but
even the half
recommendations made by the Committee in 2000 were adequately
taken care .Some Non Camp DPs (
they too had lost their lands/ houses /
assets ) are said to have objected for their not being even at par with camp DPs .
Inspite
of the 1965 /1971 Chamb
Refugees having been made to leave their
homes under a GOI policy still inspite
of there being all justifications for providing
sponsored admissions / reservations
to their children in private and Government educational institutions like Kashmiri Migrants of 1990 no such support has been
extended.
J&K
Government did appoint a Cabinet
Sub Committee head by J&K Finance Minister
to look into the proposals and demands like enhancement of ex gratia of Non Camp DPs but
such issues are still pending.
It is also
said that there were some labour
class refugees in 1971/72
and they have been the worst sufferers.
It has
been understood from some sources that
GOI has asked State Government to submit special package proposals concerning the Chamb DPs of 1965 and 1971 .
It could be only wished that such proposals would sent soon and after
that the refugees are also heard before
making final orders.
Some poor 1971/1965 refugees have alleged that they have been allotted
bad lands and in some cases in
small pieces scattered over
different areas .
So,
after the 1971 Indo Pak war under an arrangement some areas of Chamb ( Jammu
District of J&K) were in a way permanently surrendered / handed over to
Pakistan by India in 1972 after Shimla Agreement. The Chamb population that was
dislocated from Chamb as refugees even
after many years of 1947 Accession have
not been adequately compensated. There
is utmost need for constitution of
a Commission also with members from Civil society and Chamb
refugees to draw out the socio Economic
compensations, assistance and preferences that need be given to Chamb Refugees.
In
addition to this the people residing along LOC / Borders in J&K ( Samba,
Kathua, R.S Pura, Akhnoor, Nowshera, Rajouri, Poonch, Uri, Kupwara, Kargil,
etc) have all these years been leading a
disturbed life and often moving
back & forth. Although some concessions are there but these people need be properly rehabilitated and given
special support through
preference in education, government services as well as economic
assistances. Their agriculture has remained badly affected even after 6 decades
of States accession with India. The fear of regular dislocations due to firing
on LOC/ borders the education of the children has badly suffered. Their economy has remained depressed. Their administrative backwardness
has further grown since the wards of economically weaker families amongst them
could not acquire higher and professional education inspite of
there being some reservations in the name of LOC reservations. In brief there
is utmost need for constitution of a Commission
/ Board/ Commission for assessing their socio- economic and educational needs ; for extending the economic and professional support like scholarships,
loans etc , for trainings & placements
and such like issues since unless the Pakistani guns are not made to
silence they will remain disturbed.
The
number of population affected by disturbances along LOC/IB, displacements in
1965 and 1971 and refugees from Chamb area
could be not less than 10 Lac
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