Women's outfits meet Sonia on Amarnath issue

New Delhi, Aug 13 (UNI) A joint delegation of women's organisations which went to Jammu to study the crisis arising out of the Amarnath land transfer issue, today met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and demanded that a Grievance Cell be formed to look into problems being faced by the common people.

Urging her to take some concrete steps to defuse the situation, Dr Mohini Giri, who led the delegation said compensation should be immediately given to the families of those killed and to those whose homes have been destroyed.

Dr Giri, President, Guild of Service, told mediapersons here that Ms Sonia Gandhi assured the delegation that the Government was doing its best to break the deadlock.

Also addressing the press conference, Ms Suhasini Ali of the All India Democratic Association, appealed to the Government to ensure that the highway is not affected and the movement of trucks to and from the valley is not hampered.

She said reports about economic blockade were not true and urged the media to observe restraint and to shun anything that can provoke conflict.

Asking the leaders of agitations of both Jammu and Kashmir to now sit together and initiate talks among themselves, she said this was the only way out. The education of children should also not be affected by the violence, she stressed.

Apart from Dr Giri and Suhasini Ali, the delegation comprised of Jyotsna Chatterjee (Joint Women's Programme), Annie Raja (National Federation of Indian Women) and Afroz of War Widows' Association and Veenabehn (Akhil Bharatiya Rachnatmak Samaj.

During their two-day visit, they met members of both the communities, including Lila Kiran Singh of the Amarnath yatra Sangharsh Samiti, and asked them to maintain harmony at all cost.

They also met the family of Kuldip Dogra who had ended his life in support of the agitation.

As a symbolic gesture, the organisations have decided to send five million 'rakhis' to promote the feeling of brotherhood.

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