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| Border people tear into BJP, say it has let down them | | Arnia in ferment | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 27: The people of border areas of Jammu are seething with anger. They are accusing the BJP of letting them down by not fulfilling the promise that it, if voted to power, will give five marlas (1361.25 sq ft) of land for each border family in Jammu.
The BJP had held out this promise in the run up to the assembly polls in 2014.
"Jammu voted for the BJP. But what have they given us in return? Nothing," almost all the villagers are saying in one voice. "The BJP had promised five marlas (1361.25 sq ft) of land for each border family in Jammu in the run up to the state polls, but those promises remain lip service. They made those big promises for our votes. Later they were told by security forces that if villagers get the land, they'll migrate and it'll go against India's interest," the villagers say.
The border people are equally critical of the BJP-led NDA Government. They lament that "all those statements 'from Delhi' about giving 'befitting replies to Pakistan' have only prompted more cross-border attacks on them".
They, according to village leaders, "say that they are willing to stay put but have several demands", that "they want land so they can build safe houses beyond the firing range", that "they want 'individual bunkers' for their safety". At the same time, they admit that "it's asking for too much when the government has not delivered even on the community bunkers it had promised".
It needs to be underlined that it was in January that the Union Government approved sanction of Rs 415.73 crore for building 14,460 underground bunkers for people living along the Line of Control and the IB in Jammu division. But residents say that the "ones built over the last two years are not useful". "See, their approach is from the main road which defeats the purpose of these bunkers in the first place," they say, adding that "we cannot even step out of the house when shelling begins, and it begins without warning". "See, the bunkers have no provision of light or toilet. When it rains, water seeps in and we cannot even step inside. Snakes infest this place," they also say.
It's not just Arnia. Various reports have narrated similar tales of apathy from adjoining border areas in Jammu. "Thanks to the intermittent firing, farmers suffer huge losses as they can't tend to their crops, children lose out on precious time as schools remain closed for days, and business is on a fast decline as residents are increasingly migrating out. If even the facilities demanded are not provided, we will be forced to permanently migrate," they say. |
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