Hundreds of families currently living in makeshift shelter camps are refusing to go back to their homes in Jammu, especially in Noushera, Rajouri and Krishagati, unless the administration constructs concrete bunkers in their villages as a safeguard against shelling by Pakistani forces that had forced them to migrate.
Despite the authorities pressing on them to go back, the villagers fear they will have to flee again when shelling resumes. They are adamant that the government should first grant them plots of five marlas for a safe zone, as had been promised.
The district authorities want them to go back as presently they have to arrange for their food, medicine, clothing etc. The SDM of Noushera, Harbans Lal, who is looking after these villagers, told this reporter, “We have more than 3,000 border villagers staying in five relief camps set up by us in different schools. We have to spend a lot of money on their daily food etc., and we may soon fall short of money.” He said that the government will have to start the construction of community bunkers in 10 villages of Noushera where shelling is rampant.
The migrant families are facing hardship in the month of Ramzan as they left behind everything. “We have left everything there when the shelling started. Our crops have been destroyed and dozens of our cattle were killed in Pakistani shelling. We don’t have enough money even to survive as we are farmers banking on cattle and crop. We have not seen any official help so far,” said Zulifkar Ali of Noushera, who is living with a relative in Jammu.
People living near the border said that the government was not doing enough to mitigate their woes. “We have received no compensation for our land taken for LoC fencing. We were promised bunkers at our villages, but that did not happen. We have not got the promised compensation for the loss of lives, crops, cattle and other injuries,” complained Ghulam Ali, a resident of Rajouri.
A senior official of Rajouri, however, clarified to this newspaper: “We are assessing the losses in all the villages close to the border and it will take us some time to finally submit their cases for compensation. We have given them all help when they migrated to safer places.”