1971 Chhamb Displaced families face fresh ordeal over ‘No Man’s Land’ claim

• Sukhnandan appeals to govt to resolve revenue issue of border residents

JAMMU: Hundreds of families displaced during the 1971 Indo-Pak war from the Chhamb sector are once again facing uncertainty and distress after being told that the land they have been cultivating for decades now falls in a so-called “No Man’s Land” near the International Border (IB).

The affected families originally belonged to villages Chakla, Barsala, Gogi, Karni, Chak Pandita and adjoining areas of Chhamb. Following the 1971 conflict, these families were shifted to relief camps at Majalata, and later relocated to Marh, Beliasmath and Lalyala areas, including Lalyala Camp and Kanalchak Camp.

According to residents, land was formally allotted to them in 1976, during the tenure of the then Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah government. However, due to changes in the alignment of the International Border, the land originally earmarked for them fell on the other side of the IB. As a result, alternative land was allotted to other families in 1973 and 1976, while the displaced Chhamb families were left in limbo, stated former minister and senior BJP leader Sukhnadan Kumar while addressing the media at BJP headquarters in Jammu on Tuesday.

Despite this confusion, these families have been cultivating the present land for over 30 years, and were even issued Intiqal (mutation) in 1992, strengthening their belief that the land legally belonged to them, Sukhnandan said. The crisis resurfaced recently during the border fencing work, when the affected residents were informed by authorities that the land they are cultivating lies in “No Man’s Land” and that their original allotment is on the other side of the International Border — land that is now inaccessible and unusable.

Senior BJP leader Ch Sukhnadan Kumar, who has taken up the issue and appealed to the UT government to immediately intervene and resolve the matter. He said it was unjust to penalize families who have suffered displacement, uncertainty and administrative lapses for over five decades. “No one is asking about the sufferings of these displaced families caused by revenue department mistakes. If the issue is not resolved urgently, people will be forced to come out on the roads,” Sukhnandan Kumar warned.

He further pointed out that while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has repeatedly stated that the LG administration is mot allowing elected governments to function, the real question remains — who will resolve the genuine problems of border residents who are being rendered landless due to bureaucratic confusion, during tenure of Sheikh Abdullah

The displaced families have now made a fresh appeal to the government to permanently settle the land issue, regularize their possession, and ensure that families who have already lost everything once are not pushed into another cycle of displacement and protest. J&K BJP Spokesperson Balbir Ram Rattan and others accompanied Ch Sukhnadan Kumar during the press conference.