NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has released some amount of compensation for residents of border villages, who were forced out of their homes and whose crops were destroyed when India began a full scale military build up in the wake of the December 13 attack on Parliament.
Thousands of villagers along the Pakistan border had migrated inwards after India began its biggest military mobilisation since 1971.
The state governments of Punjab and Rajasthan complained that there has been extensive damage to crops due to laying of mines and lack of proper water supply in the absence of the farmers.
Also, several villagers were grievously injured when they stepped on landmines, spread over hundreds of acres of agricultural land along the border, they said.
Following this, the two state governments approached the Centre for ex-gratia to farmers and victims if landmine blasts.
According to a senior MoD official, the ministry released Rs 360 million for Punjab and Rs 138 million for Rajasthan early this week.
This amounts to 25 per cent of the amount requested, he said.
According to the MoD, the compensation would cover damages 'to standing crops, damages to standing fruit trees, orchards etc around air fields and other vital installations; damage to fences, sheds, structures connected with agriculture and other agricultural properties'.
It would also cover victims of landmine blasts, an official said.
The ministry would release the rest of the compensation 'after proper evaluation during the next financial year', which begins on April one, he added.
Significantly, Gujarat had made no such representation to the MoD.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the fourth state extensively affected by the troop mobilisation, a mechanism for compensating affected villagers already exists.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
