4000 Kashmiri families want to return to valley

Over 4,000 Kashmiri migrant families wish to return to the valley, Jammu and Kashmir government said on Sunday. "As many as 4,440 applications have been received from the Kashmiri migrant families which wish to return to the valley under the policy of return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants," a Relief and Rehabilitation department official said.

Out of these applications, 1,682 families are still in possession of immovable assets and these applications havebeen referred for verification, officials said. The maximum 1,237 applications have been received from Srinagar followed by 1,140 from Anantnag, 462 from Baramulla, 431 from Budgam, 359 from Pulawama, 283 from Kulgam, 240 from Kupawara, 150 from Shopian and 98 from Ganderbal. No application has been received from Bandipore.

"So far, no migrant family has returned to the valley. However, creation of posts for the unemployed Kashmiri migrant youth is expected to be completed by May 2010 after which their return to the valley will commence. As such the real picture will emerge after May 2010. As many as 3000 migrant youths will be given jobs under special employment package and interviews have already been conducted," the official said.

The Centre had sanctioned a Rs 1,618 crore package for return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants. As many as 38,119 kashmiri families are registered as migrants with Relief Organisation at Jammu, they said, adding of these, 34,202 families are Hindus, 2,168 Muslims and 1749 Sikhs.Total 19,338 Kashmiri migrants are living in Delhi, 11 in Himachal Pradesh, 924 in Haryana, 114 in Chandigarh, 319 in Punjab, 57 in Uttarakhand, 222 in Uttar Pradesh, 43 in Madhya Pradesh, one in Tamil Nadu, 38 in Karnataka, 208 in Maharastra and 48 Rajasthan.