Border residents face acute hardships due to fencing: Report

Srinagar, July 3 (UNI) Residents of border villages in Jammu and Kashmir are facing severe hardships due to the fencing erected along the Line of Control (LoC), according to a report.

The report titled: ''Voice of People from Frontier Areas'' has been prepared by the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation.

It said a large number of people have been displaced from these border areas due to the fencing.

The report said the people shifted to cluster villages away from their native places face various difficulties, including limited work hours in their fields now falling on other side of the fencing.

The gates leading to their agriculture lands are opened at 0900 hrs and closed at 1700 hrs, it added.

A copy of the report was presented to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad by Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation Executive Director Sushabha Barve.

The report, based on the study conducted by Ms Barve and her team, is related to the affected villages of Poonch, Rajouri and Akhnoor in Jammu region.

Earlier, she had done a similar study on displaced villagers of Kargil district.

The Centre, working in the state since 2000, has organised five Intra-Kashmir Conferences, including one each at Jammu and Srinagar.

The report said the affected people were unhappy over the arrangement. Besides, they want ration shops and enhancement in compensation for those killed in landmines, it added.

The Chief Minister welcomed the initiative taken by Ms Barve and her organisation to bring to fore the problems of the displaced people of border areas.

Mr Azad said the recommendations made in the report would be looked into and steps initiated to ameliorate the sufferings of the affected people. He asked Ms Barve to do a similar study on border area of Karnah in the Kashmir valley.

UNI