 Akshay Azad
JAMMU, Nov 12: The 1971 war between India and Pakistan might have lasted 13 days only but the unhealed wounds received by some villagers of tehsil RS Pura continue to bleed even now.
Recounting one horrible sunny day of 1972's winter, Maggar Singh, a farmer of border village Chak Bulla said, "I had just cut down a handful of fodder for livestock. Unwittingly, I stepped on an anti-personnel landmine, triggering a blast. The blast consumed my toe," he said.
He said the villagers brought him to the nearby Army post, which later shifted him to Shalamar Hospital. "After treatment for around one year and incurring huge expenditure, I started walking but lost strength and balance to do any menial job or to lift weight", he said.
Except meager relief of Rs. 5000 given by Army authorities, during a tour to Chandigarh, Magar Singh rued that neither state nor Union Government has so far given any relief, despite submission of required documents to Deputy Commissioner's office several times. While recalling the fateful morning of year 1972, another landmine victim Janak Raj, who had also lost his right foot narrated that it was 9th Navratra when he along with some other villagers had gone to bring fodder. "It was around 11 AM, when an anti-personnel landmine went off under my foot leaving me maimed. My colleague apprised Army authorities, who shifted me to Shalamar hospital for treatment", he said, adding that in the name of relief, he got only assurances from all including local administration, politicians and local representatives.
The aftermath of hostility between two nations, didn't stop here as several farmers have also lost their land in the embankment raised by Army in border villages.
"I had only 2 acres of land, out of which one acre came under the barrier made by Army. Being a farmer, the land holds great relevance for us but after around one and half decade, since our land was encroached for construction of bund, not a single penny has been paid to us", he said, adding that majority of villagers were farmers and every family has lost a major portion of agriculture land in barrier bund construction, but got nothing in return. Magar Singh and Janak Raj are not the only sufferers. There are around 100 victims in RS Pura. All of them are still waiting for Government help for the last many decades, but neither state nor Union Government has so far paid any attention towards these hapless people and has paid any relief. |
