Finally deceased porters’ kins get a fair deal

Significantly, all this was done when the six porter companies on raised by the Army on contract basis, were disbanded after the end of the Kargil conflict. As a result, Army had paid ex-gratia relief to only the combatants who died or got injured during the Kargil conflict. The other porters were just asked to go home as their companies had got disbanded at the end of the war.

However, Army authorities felt that a raw deal had been given to the young civilians who, unmindful of their own safety during the enemy fire, supplied logistics to Army troops and also carried out various multifarious tasks ranging from construction of track to defence works. Accordingly, they held special recruitment drives to accommodate those who fulfilled all requirements of a regular Army soldier.

But, feeling that something needs to be done even for the next of kin of the deceased porters or those injured during the conflict, the Northern Command took up the matter with Defence Minister George Fernandes during one of his visits to the State, sources said. The Minister had assured a positive decision in the matter, they added.

The cheques pertaining to ex-gratia relief were presented to the next of kins of deceased porters at a ceremony held here by Station Commander of the Jammu Garrison, Brig I P Singh, on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff. The porters, who had been killed during the Kargil conflict, included Syam Singh, Khangadre Bahadur Bhadari, Tesring Phunchek, Kamlesh Kumar, Delar Singh, Paduman Singh and Madan Singh.