Omar visits camps for people affected by Pak shelling

As thousands of civilians affected by the Pakistani shelling in the RS Pura sector thronged to shelter camps, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accompanied by his team went on to inspect the lodging facilities and quality of food provided to them.

The state government has set up nearly 40 camps for affected people, who have deserted 113 hamlets in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, beside one cattle camp in Jammu.

Over 32,000 people have migrated from their homes along international border due to mortar shelling and firing during last nine days in which eight people have been killed and nearly 90 injured including 13 security men.

As Omar reached Kotha camp setup in Hiranagar belt along the IB in Kathua district, he went straight to the community kitchen to check the quality of food served there. He ate some daal and other vegetables to check its quality.

Omar visited a chain of shelter camps and interacted with affected people, who raised demands of construction of bunkers, grants for plots at safer locations, setting up of bovine camps and grant for reservation for the IB people at par with Line of Control.

The chief minister directed his administration to address their demands but on the issue of plots, he asked campers to take up the issue at the "right forums".

"We are happy to see the administration alive and active this time unlike in the past. Even the chief minister did the right thing by inspecting things himself," said Gajinder Singh, who is staying at Rehal camp in Jammu.

Dablehar camp dweller Kaku Ram said, "We were taken out in vehicles provided by government. We have been here for two days and they served us in best way possible. We are thankful. This type of arrangement was not seen during migrations in the past triggered by Pakistan firing.”

"As many as 16 relief camps have been set up in Jammu district for the border migrants," Deputy Commissioner (Jammu) Ajit Kumar Sahu said while taking stock of the arrangements of the various camps set up in district.

Omar on Thursday asserted that the only way for Pakistan to normalise the border situation is to silence its guns and took a dig at Islamabad for approaching United Nations Military Observer Group saying complaining to a toothless body will serve no purpose.

"The easiest way, if Pakistan wants to normalise the situation, is to silence its guns. If they stop shelling, I am sure that everyone will stop from here. And that will put an end to this," he said.

Another migrant, Parveen Bibi said the arrangements at Chakroi camp this time around is better than all the previous camps she has seen.