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With determination leaders rushing to explicit solidarity, families affected by the caller demolition thrust successful Jammu said connected Thursday that they volition not observe the upcoming Id successful “makeshift polythene shacks and connected foam floorings”.
Saima Jan (name changed), is among 2 twelve families affected by the thrust connected May 19 successful Jammu’s Raika Bandi area. “Around 5 a.m., bulldozers crushed our houses. Elders were offering prayers and younger ones were sleeping erstwhile the thrust tore done the hutments. The archetypal nighttime we were forced to slumber with ants creeping successful from each sides. The adjacent panchayat ghar is full.”
With Id being observed connected May 27, the parent of 4 said determination volition beryllium nary celebrations this year. “We are near without shelter. We lived present implicit 4 decades and volition not permission the place. We lived extracurricular wood fences. Voter cards, ration cards, electricity, and h2o proviso are grounds to that. But present h2o and energy are being chopped disconnected too,” she said.
‘Systematic targeting’
As galore arsenic 32 structures were demolished. Officials said it was against encroachments connected wood land. However, Haji Mohd. Yousuf Majnu, president of the Gujjar Bakarwal Conference, termed it “systematic targeting of a peculiar community”. “All demolition drives successful Jammu are directed towards 1 community. We request compensation and rehabilitation. The Centre and the J&K medication should not hide the relation of these communities successful maintaining J&K’s unity with India. Those who are down the thrust should beryllium unmasked,” helium said.
Ruling National Conference (NC) MLA and Gujjar person Mian Mehar Ali and Peoples Democratic Party person Iltija Mufti visited the affected families successful Sidhra connected Thursday. “In this scorching heat, they were near connected the roads. No Id celebrations volition beryllium determination this year. The younker were preparing to enactment successful an anti-drug run the time they were made homeless. We privation a imperishable solution to it. The Omar Abdullah authorities volition intervene,” Mr. Ali said.
Naming BJP legislator Vikram Randhawa, who had held a protestation against encroachments successful the area, Ms. Mufti said, “Mr. Randhawa visited the country 10 days agone and claimed amerciable houses would beryllium demolished. It seems the BJP directs the NC connected what actions to instrumentality here. Under whose power does the Forest Department come? This is not happening conscionable today. Around April too, astir 20 houses were demolished successful R.S. Pura.”
Probe panel
A two-member fact-finding panel, announced by the J&K government, volition taxable a study connected immoderate violations of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 wrong 7 days. It volition besides look into the relation of the Forest Department successful the drive.
Forest Minister Javed Rana has blamed Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha for “demolitions without immoderate notices”.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary claimed specified decisions were “taken by the bureaucracy” owed to the deficiency of Statehood. “The demolitions were unfortunate. The elected authorities lacks power implicit elder officers,” helium said.
Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma ruled retired immoderate relation of the BJP successful the demolitions. “The BJP is not portion of the government. The authorities indispensable person fixed its nod. Anyone who has encroached onshore should not lone look demolitions but besides transgression cases. First tents are acceptable up and past houses. There is simply a conspiracy to alteration the demography of Jammu. There is ‘land jihad’,” helium said.
