New Delhi: A Delhi-based NGO of the Kashmiri Pandits has accused the Centre of doing nothing for their physical and economic rehabilitation even after 31 years of their exile from Jammu and Kashmir on account of spurt of the militancy in the state.
In a statement, Satish Mahaldar, Chairman of the Reconciliation, Return & Rehabilitations of Kashmiri Pandit Migrants, said the Kashmiri Pandits "feel betrayed." He argues that Lord Rama's exile ended with the launch of construction of his temple in Ayodhya, but when will Kashmiri Pandits' exile end.
He pointed out that on June 14 last year, 419 Kashmiri Pandit families were promised land and house in Kashmir valley as part of Return-and-Rehabilitation plan, but nobody has been rehabilitated till today while the original aborigines are still homeless even after 31 years.
Mahaldar has pleaded for immediate sanction of a minimum of 300 acres of land allocated and reserved for the Kashmiri Pandit migrants in the valley. The Kashmir Pandit professionals/entrepreneurs are very keen to invest in tourism, hospitality, agriculture, education, medicinal plants, health and pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, IT & ITES, renewable energy & other sectors, he said.
He also demanded constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the killings of the innocent Pandits in the Kashmir valley since 1989 and establish who were responsible for the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland.
Other demands include immediate allocation of Rs 3 lakh crore for rehabilitation of the Pandits in the current financial year to enable one kanal of land and construction of 4-bedroom houses for each family.
