Kulgam, May 11: JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla on Thursday visited the KP (Kashmiri Pandit) Colony Vessu in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district to listen to their grievances.
According to a statement issued here, Bhalla “was appealed” to visit their colony, and on the occasion, the people submitted a memorandum of demands apprising the JKPCC Working President of various issues including inadequate accommodation, promotion and inter-district transfer of employees appointed under PM’s Package besides establishment of KV School for their wards.
Bhalla appealed to the government to “have a sympathetic look at the demands of KPs which are very genuine and real need of All PM Package employees”. “This package which was announced in 2008 by then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was given to all migrant employees with an aspiration that the displaced community will gain confidence and will go back to their respective homes which they left undesirably. Almost 13 years have passed, and the community has not developed confidence rather they are living a traumatic life which is very unfortunate,” he said.
The former minister said that the previous government had announced 512 flats (2BHK) flats here at Vessu camp, it was decided that the project will be completed in two phases. “The first phase will comprise 208 flats and the second one will be having 304 flats, and the land which was the requisite for the said project was around 180 kanals. Almost 8 years have passed, unfortunately, the first phase of this great project has not been completed yet, which is surprising and shocking for all of us,” he said while appealing to the government to look at this matter with priority as “KPs are living in fabricated huts for last 13 years now”.
Bhalla said that after the last year’s target-killing scenario of minorities in the valley, the PM Package employees are totally aggrieved and unsure about their safety and security due to which all employees had undergone many leaves in their service records. He demanded treating those forced leaves as distress leaves or some special leaves and helping these employees to “get redemption of this inner striving unrest in their minds and hearts”.
The Congress leader appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to “kindly pay a personal visit to KPs colony to have a firsthand appraisal of their genuine grievances”.
