JAMMU, Sep 25: The PoJK DPs’ Front organised a rally at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, Jammu, to highlight what its members described as long-pending issues concerning displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
The rally was held under the chairmanship of Captain (Retd.) Yudhvir Singh Chib, President of the Front, and was attended by General Secretary J.P. Sharma, Mahila Wing President Sakandaya Devi, Virinder Singh Chib, Sham Singh Chib and other members of the organisation.
A large number of displaced persons participated in the programme, carrying banners and raising slogans in support of their demands. According to the organisers, the participants attempted to proceed towards the Secretariat in the form of a rally but were stopped by a police contingent near Dogra Chowk.
The Front raised several demands related to compensation, agricultural land, ownership rights, rehabilitation and political representation.
The organisation referred to recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), constituted in 2013, and claimed that the committee had recommended Rs 30 lakh compensation for each displaced family from PoJK.
According to the Front, Rs 5.5 lakh has so far been released to eligible displaced families, while several cases are still pending. The organisation urged the administration to take up the matter with the Central Government for release of the remaining amount.
The Front also demanded allotment of agricultural land to PoJK displaced persons who, according to it, have not received land as part of their rehabilitation.
It urged the administration to consider allotting six acres of irrigated land or eight acres of non-irrigated land to eligible displaced families from land recovered from alleged illegal possession, subject to applicable government policies and procedures.
The organisation further raised the issue of ownership rights over agricultural land already allotted to displaced persons. It claimed that government orders issued in August 2024 regarding conferment of ownership rights had not been fully implemented by the concerned revenue authorities.
The Front urged the administration to issue necessary directions for expediting implementation of the orders.
Special emphasis was placed on the concerns of PoJK displaced persons from the 1971 conflict who, according to the organisation, were displaced from their ancestral homes and have not received adequate rehabilitation.
The Front demanded that residential colonies be developed at suitable locations and that eligible displaced families be considered for residential plots and assistance under applicable housing schemes.
The organisation also sought parity in relief and rehabilitation measures with other displaced communities, stating that PoJK displaced persons from 1971 should receive appropriate assistance and facilities.
The Front claimed that thousands of files relating to payment of Rs 5.5 lakh had been forwarded for processing and urged the concerned authorities to coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs for expediting payments to eligible claimants.
It also raised the issue of political representation, stating that the displaced population from PoJK should receive greater representation in the legislative process so that their concerns could be raised effectively.
Addressing the gathering, J.P. Sharma and Sakandaya Devi said the organisation had been pursuing the issues of displaced persons at different levels. They claimed that several concerns had also been raised in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and expressed hope that the remaining issues would be taken up in forthcoming Assembly proceedings.
They called upon the displaced community to remain united and continue pursuing their demands through democratic and constitutional means.
Among those present were Varinder Singh, Kulbir Singh Chib, Sukhdev Singh, Kehar Singh, Master Raghunath Singh, Ch. Rattan Lal, Sham Singh Chib, Kamal Sharma, Hoshnaki Ram and Ranjit Singh Chib, besides other members and supporters of the Front.