Kashmiri Pandits To Get 6,000 More Transit Homes: Mehbooba Mufti Government

Jammu: The Mehbooba Mufti government has said 6,000 transit homes will be built for Kashmiri Pandits who are willing to come and work in the valley. Land has already been identified for the homes under a Central grant of Rs 1618.4 crore sanctioned in 2008-2009, the government said today in response to a question in the assembly.  

The administrative officials in Kashmir valley have already identified 723 kanals of land which has a tentative cost of land Rs 374.65 crore. Further, money will be used to build 6,000 transit accommodations, a one-time revival of agricultural and horticultural land and scholarship for school-going children.

Last week, the state government had passed an unanimous resolution to create a conducive atmosphere for the return of Kashmiri Pandits. Today, in a written reply to a question by BJP legislator Rajesh Gupta, the government said under the Central package, 6,000 jobs are being created for Kashmiri Pandits and 9,000 additional jobs will be created by establishing "income generating units".

According to government figures, after the unrest in Kashmir started in early 1990s, 37,347 Hindu families, 2,257 Muslim families and 1,758 Sikh families had migrated from Kashmir.

After coming to power in the 2014 elections, the BJP-PDP government had announced that it would put up transit colonies for the Pandits. The decision had drawn sharp criticism from separatists.

But the transit camps that were built left much to be desired in terms of infrastructure, the Pandits who live there have alleged. The 1,200 families of Kashmiri Pandits who are living in these camps had been given jobs in 2009 under the Prime Minister's special employment package.