29-09-2023 : Displaced Persons from Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) staged a fervent protest today, asserting their demands for the allocation of 10 marla land recently recovered from illegal occupants and the provision of 12 Assembly seats for PoJK DPs.
Under the banner of “PoJK DPs’ Front 1947, 1965, and 1971 (Non-Camp),” a substantial gathering of displaced individuals, led by their President, Captain (Retired) Yudhvir Singh Chib, congregated at Maharaja Hari Singh Park in Jammu to initiate a protest demonstration. Their primary demands included compensation for DPs at the rate of Rs 30 lakh per family, as recommended by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). While they expressed gratitude to the Modi Government for providing Rs 5.5 lakh per family, they emphatically stressed that this amount constituted just the first installment of the comprehensive package endorsed by the JPC. They adamantly urged the release of the remaining Rs 24.5 lakhs per family.
The DPs also commended the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory administration and the Union Government for successfully reclaiming thousands of kanals of land from illegal encroachers within Jammu and Kashmir who had unlawfully occupied government-owned land. In this regard, they insisted that 10 marla land or plots be allocated to PoJK DPs and other refugees. Additionally, they underscored the importance of providing land to non-camp refugees.
Captain Yudhvir Singh Chib specifically called for the allocation of 12 out of the 24 seats reserved for the PoJK region to DPs in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. He highlighted the plight of refugees from Chhamb, who had diligently cultivated lands along the banks of the Chenab River. These lands, originally allotted to them under the Roshni Act, have since been reclaimed by the government. Captain Chib appealed to the authorities to consider reinstating these lands to the rightful owners and also requested Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for PoJK DPs.
Chib revealed that they recently engaged in discussions with senior BJP leaders, Devinder Singh Rana and Surjit Singh Slathia, who assured them of taking up these crucial DP issues with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the Union Government.
Notable attendees at the protest included JP Sharma, Kuldeep Singh Chib, Kulbir Singh, Sakandya Devi (in charge of the Mahila Wing), Sudesh Rani, Rani Devi, Kehar Singh, Kamal Sharma, and others.