JKSAC Poonch Unit Voices Strong Opposition to Anti-DP Order; Demands Withdrawal and Implementation of JPC Report

jj correspondent
Poonch, Aug 01: In a significant move to safeguard the interests of Displaced Persons (DPs), the District Poonch Unit of the Jammu and Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) convened a high-level meeting of its executive members and prominent community leaders to deliberate upon pressing issues affecting DPs of 1947.
The meeting, chaired by S. Tarlok Singh Tara, President of the Poonch Unit, witnessed the presence of senior leaders including Capt. Ashok Sharma, Capt. Naar Singh (Vice Presidents), Sh. Mangat Ram and Dwarka Dass (Secretaries), and Balwant Singh (Patron). The participants expressed grave concern and strong resentment over Government Order No. 105-JK(Rev) dated 16-08-2024, under which proprietary rights over allotted evacuee lands have been proposed for re-implementation.
The speakers unanimously criticized the order, calling it “illogical, anti-DP, and unnecessary,” emphasizing that DPs have already been granted proprietary rights under Section 3-A of the Agrarian Reform Act, 1976 and Cabinet Order 254-C of 1965. These rights, they asserted, have been exercised by DPs for over five decades. The imposition of fresh conditions such as “continuous recorded cultivation” is viewed as a veiled attempt to nullify the rights already granted, and thus, a direct violation of existing laws and commitments.
S. Tarlok Singh Tara urged the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, Shri Manoj Sinha, to honor his commitment made during a meeting held in March 2025 and immediately withdraw the controversial order. He also cautioned DPs not to fall prey to misleading guidance from revenue officials, who are allegedly pressuring them to reapply under the disputed order.
Further, Sh. Mangat Ram Sharma, General Secretary, expressed dismay at the vacant post of Custodian-cum-PRO, unfilled since April 2025. He highlighted the severe administrative lapse, which has slowed the implementation of the Rs 5.5 lakh relief package, a time-bound scheme meant for the welfare of DPs. He urged former Chief Minister Shri Omar Abdullah to intervene and advise the Principal Secretary, DMRRR, to assign the charge to Deputy PRO Shri Kapil Kant Khajuria, who has long been associated with the execution of the relief program.
The meeting concluded with Capt. Ashok Sharma and Capt. Naar Singh reiterating the long-standing demand for the acceptance and implementation of the JPC Report on Home Affairs (Report No. 183 dated 22-12-2014), which recommends a comprehensive relief package of Rs 30 lakhs per DP family, among other essential components. They declared it to be the only viable roadmap for the final and just settlement of the displaced community’s decades-old grievances.
The JKSAC leadership resolved to continue its democratic struggle and mobilize public opinion until justice is delivered to the displaced families.