No proposal for separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir
New Delhi, Feb 7 : Putting all speculation and new controversies to rest, the government today informed Parliament there was no proposal for setting up separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir.
Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said this while replying to a written question from Ashwini Kumar of Congress in Lok Sabha.
The minister made it clear there was no proposal for setting up Sainik Colonies in the state. This issue had become a political controversy in the Kashmir Valley when reports appearing in media suggested for creation of separate Sainik Colonies for security personnel.
Ahir's reply flies in the face of assertions made by some BJP leaders in Jammu and officials that separate colonies were being set up for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley who had migrated from the Valley at the onset of militancy in 1990.
As many as 62,000 Kashmiri Pandit families are registered as migrants of which 40,000 are in Jammu, 20,000 in Delhi and two thousand in rest of the country.
The minister informed the house that government has approved only one scheme on November 18, 2015 under which additional 3000 jobs will be provided to the Pandits besides construction of 6000 transit accommodation for them.
