Govt OK’d package for 5,300 families, but only 500 such families listed with rehab office
Five days after the Union Cabinet gave its approval for including the names of 5,300 displaced families in the Rehabilitation Package approved by the Cabinet on November 30, 2016, for displaced families of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Chhamb under the PM’s Development Package, confusion prevails over the number of real beneficiaries.
According to the records, only around 500 families who were registered outside the State and later returned and settled down in J&K, are registered with the office of Provincial Rehabilitation Officer (PRO), Jammu.
In the absence of any official communication, even the senior officers are not in a position to clarify the status of actual beneficiaries of the package.
“The State Government had recommended the rehabilitation package for 26,319 displaced families. In response, the Centre approved the package and financial assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh,” Custodian, Evacuee Property and Ex-Officio, Provincial Rehabilitation Officer Mushtaq Hussain Malik told The Pioneer,
He said claims of only around 500 displaces families, who were registered outside the State and later returned and settled down in the State, are registered in his office.
“I had recommended their cases to the office of Divisional Commissioner (DC), Jammu so that a final decision can be taken,” he said, adding, even the DC had recommended their cases and forwarded the file to the Civil Secretariat.
Mushtaq Hussain Malik said so far he had not received any order or official intimation whether Government has announced rehabilitation package for 5,300 families who are permanently settled outside the State at different places, or for these families who were registered outside the State but later returned and settled
Malik claimed that most such families were permanently settled down in other States and continue to live there. “The claims of these 5300 displaced families settled outside the State are not registered with his office,” he said.
On the other hand, Rajiv Chunni, Chairman, SOS International, an organisation advocating the cause of PoK displaced persons (DP), told The Pioneer that the Union Government must clarify who is going to be the real beneficiary of the Rehabilitation package approved by the union cabinet on October 9 as confusion is prevailing among the members of the displaced families.
Chunni pointed out that the Union Cabinet gave its approval to include 5,300 displaced families in the rehabilitation package, but in the subsequent press briefing and written statement circulated by the Government, a specific rider was added that out of 5,300 families only those who returned and settled down in the State of Jammu & Kashmir would be entitled for the rehabilitation package.
He said, he is receiving large number of calls from refugees settled outside the State to know the factual status.
“Majority of these displaced families continue to live in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra etc and should be extended the benefit of the rehabilitation package,” he said.
He said, “On one hand the Centre had abrogated Article 370 and 35-A, and on the other hand they are still adding riders before compensating refugee families struggling to get their due share for last seven decades”.
He said, “If the Centre Government is claiming they are willing to rehabilitate 5,300 PoK refugee families they should not say only those families would be rehabilitated under the scheme who have returned to the State of Jammu & Kashmir and are currently settled here in the State”.
Rajiv Chunni claimed that Out of 5,300 displaced families around 2200 families are settled in Delhi, 1250 in Punjab, approximately 1000 in Uttar Pradesh, and others are settled in Uttarakhand, Maharashtra,West Bengal, Bihar etc.