After their exodus from the Valley, Kashmiri Pandit migrants have been largely boycotting the election process in the State. However, now, migrant families rehabilitated in Jagti township - constructed under the Prime Minister’s reconstruction package on the o u t s k i r t s o f J am mu n e a r Nagrota - are going to witness a tough ‘battle of ballot’ for genuine representatives.
A majority from the township has presented before the S t a t e R e v e n u e , R e l i e f & Rehabilitation Minister their wish to elect their won representatives, to do away with selfstyled leaders.
During their interaction with the Cabinet Minister, the migrants had claimed that these so-called ‘representatives’ were taking advantage of the fact that the migrants did not have genuine leaders to forward their cause. A s a r e s u l t , t h e S t at e Government has set in motion the election process and notified tentative schedule for filing of nomination papers and date of polling. Ac cording to a not i c e i s s u e d b y t h e A s s i s t a n t Commissioner (Camps) for Relief & R e h a b i l i t a t i o n Commissioner (M) Jammu, the poll process would begin on December 26, with filing of
n omi n at i on p ap e r s . A f t e r scrutiny between January 6 and 14, 2012, voting would take place after January 26, 2012. According to the notice, head of the family which has been allotted accommodation at Jagti shall be eligible to cast one vote to elect a representative for every eight to 10 blocks. For several months now, Ja g t i ha s b e en wit n e s s ing community leaders willing to spearhead the campaign over the poor quality of construction work and lack of basic f a c i l i t i e s f o r K a s h m i r I migrants. Prominent organisation of Kashmiri Pandits, Panun Kashmir, also jumped into the fray.
Shadi Lal Pandita, leader of Jagti tenement committee, is also running a smear campaign against the office of the Relief Commissioner. Highlighting poor construction and demanding regular power, Pandita made desperate bids to expose t h e n e x u s b e t w e e n f a k e K a s h m i r i m i g r a n t s a n d employees of the Relief Commissioner’s office, but in vain.
Responding to allegations o f c o r r u p t i o n , R e l i e f & Rehabilitation Commissioner (M) Vinod Kaul told The Pioneer, “Ever since we detected fraudulent ration cards during the raids conducted in various zones, several migrants
have been staging protest dharnas in our office premises to pressurise us against taking the extreme step.” Kaul said Pandita has been completely exposed as he had obtained eight migrant ration cards in different zones in the same names for himself and other family members. The Relief Commissioner also said he was personally looking into the matter of poor construction quality and gathering details of flats in need of immediate repairs.
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