Rajiv Chuni, chairman of SOS International-an organisation for displaced persons from Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK), has applauded the minister for PHE, irrigation and flood control Sham Lal Sharma for vociferously raising the issue of Displaced Persons (DPs) in Wednesday's cabinet meeting.
Chuni said had all political parties, particularly the ruling Congress and National Conference supported genuine demands of the displaced community with the similar spirit, the issue of DPs would have been settled earlier.
He said the parties kept feeding Kashmiri migrants with packages worth thousands of rupees but provided only lip service to the DPs from PoK, even though the state had to spent not a single penny and the entire amount would be borne by the Centre for their settlement.
"Since it is better late than never, we wish Sham Lal Sharma, whose initiative has evoked a fresh hope among the displaced community, will take our issue to a logical conclusion for comprehensive settlement of displaced persons from PoK during the tenure of this government," Chuni said.
Elaborating the height of insensitivity and discriminatory attitude meted out to DPs by successive governments, both at the Centre and the state, Chuni said as per the RTI reply received from ministry of Home Affairs, the central government had extended a relief of `22,665 crores to the 0.2 million valley migrants till March end in 2012, that too in just 22 years of their migration, whereas in the case of 1.2 million Displaced Persons from PoK, a relief of just `83 crores was given in 65 years, in a sheer violation of the fundamental principle of equal justice to all.
{{/usCountry}}Elaborating the height of insensitivity and discriminatory attitude meted out to DPs by successive governments, both at the Centre and the state, Chuni said as per the RTI reply received from ministry of Home Affairs, the central government had extended a relief of `22,665 crores to the 0.2 million valley migrants till March end in 2012, that too in just 22 years of their migration, whereas in the case of 1.2 million Displaced Persons from PoK, a relief of just `83 crores was given in 65 years, in a sheer violation of the fundamental principle of equal justice to all.
{{/usCountry}}Chuni said when both these sections of the society enjoyed equal rights in the Constitution being state subjects, then why were the relief measures available to the valley migrants not extended to the PoK Displaced Persons.